Lotte’s ninth inning is strong.먹튀검증 It is because of the long-haired finisher who jumps out to the mound in a save situation and the heavy presence of Kim Won-joong (30).
Kim Won-joong made 10 saves in the season against Sajik NC on the 23rd and achieved double-digit saves for 4 consecutive seasons. After achieving his record, Kim Won-joong, whom we met at the Sajik Stadium, was satisfied, saying, “It is a meaningful record in that we have consistently played.”
Kim Won-joong is the first player in club history to record 10 saves in 4 consecutive seasons. This means that before Kim Won-jung, there was no reliable finisher who had been active for a long time in Lotte. Starting with 25 saves in the 2020 season, where he served as the finishing pitcher for the first time, Kim Won-joong has been guarding Lotte’s back door for the fourth season. Kim Won-jung won 35 saves in the 2021 season, surpassing the record of Kim Sa-yul (the club’s most 34 saves during the 2012 season). Kim Won-joong surpassed Son Seung-rak’s double-digit save record for three consecutive seasons, such as wearing a Lotte uniform as a free agent (FA) and making 37 saves in the 2017 season.
Kim Won-joong proudly said, “It is not easy to be in charge of the back door in the most popular team in the KBO league,” and “I am proud of overcoming difficult situations well and finishing well.” He continued, “It is an honor to be able to put my name next to outstanding seniors,” but also talked about his greed as a Lotte finishing pitcher, saying, “I think that the record will increase if I do it for a year because this part has to continue.”
To be honest, the beginning of the season was not easy. He pitched a lot early in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March. The psychological fatigue of his national team being eliminated from the finals was also great. An uneasy game continued, such as 3 runs in 1 inning against KT on April 9, the beginning of the season, and 3 runs in 0.1 inning against LG 3 days later. Kim Won-jung, who recalled the time, said, “I tried to reset his head while wandering around and eating delicious things. He seems to have put a lot of effort into recovering his body.” Kim Won-joong has pitched scoreless except for one game in 15 games he started against Samsung on April 15th.
Amid Kim Won-joong’s stable pitching, Lotte is also on the rise. He finished April as the sole lead and is still competing for the lead in May. Thanks to his strong back door, he won all 22 games leading up to the 7th as of the 25th. Kim Won-joong said, “Even if it’s difficult (in a situation where the team is leading), my job is to block it when I get on the mound.”
Lotte’s goal this season is to advance to ‘fall baseball’. Lotte’s last postseason appearance has been suspended in 2017. Kim Won-joong, who pitched in two games in the semi-playoffs at the time, is one of the few Lotte pitchers with experience in fall baseball. Kim Won-joong, who remembered that time, said, “I want to play fall baseball in a place where there are many spectators. Fans also have high expectations from now on, and we will do our best to live up to those expectations.”