It is Koo Seung-min, the “trustman” of the Lotte Giants who succeeded in the revival.
Koo took the mound as relief pitcher in the 14th game between KT Wiz and his team in the “2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League” held at Sajik Stadium on Sunday. He pitched one inning with no hit, no hit, and no run, contributing to his team’s 7-5 win. The ninth hold of this season is a bonus.
Koo took the mound in the top of the eighth inning with Lotte leading 7-4. He grounded out leadoff hitter Kim Min-hyuk to the second base, and treated Jang Sung-woo to the third base, increasing two outs in an instant. Then, he handled pinch hitter Oh Jae-il with catcher strikeout, and neatly overwhelmed KT’s batters.
It was Koo Seung-min who took the mound in an important situation. Lotte overturned the game, which had been dragged 1-4, 7-4. It was important not to lose a point after the turnaround, but Koo Seung-min blocked it well and perfectly cut KT’s willingness to chase. 스포츠토토
After the game, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung praised the pitching staff and mentioned Koo Seung-min’s performance, saying, “The bullpen pitchers threw well, followed by starter Aaron Wilkerson, Jin Hae-soo, Kim Sang-soo, and Koo Seung-min, and Kim Won-joong blocked well.”
After the game, Koo Seung-min said, “It was bad in the beginning, but I wanted to concentrate more. The situation like today’s (4th) is the most difficult situation for relief pitchers. Regardless of the hold situation, the next inning is important. Recognizing that point and going up led to a good result.”
Koo has had four wins, three losses and nine holds and 50 ⅔ innings of ERA at 55 games this year. Koo, who was shaken by three wins, two losses and four holds and an earned run average of 6.67 in 30 games in the first half of the year. However, he recovered to perfection with one win, one loss and five holds and an earned run average of 2.28 in 25 games in the second half. Notably, he played in 12 ⅓ and allowed two runs (one earned run) in 12 games last month, giving a 0.73 monthly earned run. Coincidentally, his pitching pace has been recovering since he became a baby girl.
Regarding the rebound point, Koo Seung-min said, “My physical condition has not changed. There was talk of speed, but I couldn’t adapt to the ABS (automatic ball determination system) zone. I put it down and tried to throw my ball without regret, leading to good results and gaining confidence.”
“I feel a lot of responsibility (after the daughter-in-law). In other words, it’s a baby formula buff, but I have another family to take responsibility for. Even if it’s hard, when I go home and see my child, I think it’s a good idea. I think it’s also good for image training,” he added.
Lotte is fiercely competing with each other to reach the top five. With the victory, the team elevated its ranking by one notch to seventh in the league. At the same time, the team has trailed KT, which ranks fifth in the league, by a gap of two games. As the team desperately needs to win every game, it is inevitable that its must-winners such as Koo Seung-min will take the mound more frequently.
Koo Seung-min said, “A relief pitcher prepares to take the mound every day. There is no game that is not important. That’s the situation, but considering that situation, I feel pressured, so I will prepare and do the same.”
