Lotte’s ‘two-way’ race for the top five has narrowed down

If the past hurts, it’s an experience; if it’s good, it’s a memory. Spring training is a time to relive memories and experiences, to rebuild ourselves and prepare for the new season.

The Giants have a solid starting lineup. This is the biggest strength of the Lotte Giants ahead of the 2024 season.

With the appointment of manager Kim Tae-hyung, the first through fourth lineup has been finalized. Both foreign pitchers, Barnes and Wilkerson, have been re-signed. They are backed up by the Korean National Team starting duo of Park Se-woong and Na Kyun-an, who had their military issues resolved through the Hangzhou Asian Games. The quartet combines command, innings, reliability, and control.

Only one spot remains. For fall baseball, a fifth starter who can stabilize the regular season is essential.

The competition for the fifth spot will come down to Han Hyun-hee and Lee In-bok. Both players are eager. Initially, 바카라사이트 left-hander Shim Jae-min, who was in the running for a spot in the second half of last year, was also a candidate, but he was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

Han Hyun-hee, the returning gold medalist, wore the yoke of the ‘multi-loss king’. The fierce criticism from his hometown fans stabbed him in the heart.

With a record of 6-12 and an ERA of 5.45, he had a career low that was not worthy of his 4 billion won price tag. He literally had a winter of despair. He forgot all about his Rookie of the Year award, Hold King, and two 11-game starts.

He’s starting from scratch after a year of experience. He’s still 31, too young to be called an old man. Encouraged by coach Kim Tae-hyung, who said, “It’s not time for you to rest,” he took just two weeks off after the season ended and started working out again. He even went to the World Wing Athletic Center in Japan, which is said to be a “mecca for rehabilitation.” His wife was very supportive. His wife’s full support was a big help.

I lost weight naturally by exercising more than by dieting. Above all, I try not to be impatient.

Lee In-bok still has to overcome the aftermath of her elbow surgery. He was a Cinderella story in the second half of 2021, earning a starting spot, and the following year, he went 9-9 with a career-high 4.19 ERA in 26 games and 126⅔ innings.

That made the injury and subsequent fall all the more painful. He was diagnosed with elbow surgery just before spring training last year, and after some deliberation, he underwent the procedure and was back on the mound in June. However, he was unable to regain his velocity and bounced around the second team. In 10 games (7 starts), he went 1-4 with a 6.48 ERA.

He approached the new season with a new mindset and a sharpened commitment. He’s starting from scratch.

He has a new weapon to utilize against lefties, which has been his weakness. 안전 토토사이트 The key is to utilize the cutter he learned from Wilkerson last year. It has the opposite direction of change from his two-seam, which can confuse hitters. He has also improved his delivery.

Competition fattens the team. The more the two-way competition for the five starting spots heats up, the closer Lotte will be to fall baseball.