“They say there are not many games left, but I think it’s enough.”
Acting Lotte manager Lee Jong-woon, who has 36 games left in the season, is confident that they have a chance to rebound. At seventh place, five games behind fifth-place KIA, fall baseball won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible.
A year ago, Lotte was also in sixth place, five games behind fifth-place KIA, with 108 games played. Last year, however, Lotte went 17-19 in its remaining 36 games, tied for sixth place in that span, and ended the season in eighth place. KIA held on to fifth place.
In both 2020 and 2021, they were within 2.5 and 3.5 games of fifth place with 108 games played, respectively, but failed to overturn the deficit. With 15 wins and 21 losses in 2020 and 15 wins, 16 losses, and 5 draws in 2021, they failed to reach the 5-percent win rate and ended up in 7th or 8th place.
With Lotte traditionally weak at the back, overturning a five-game deficit with 36 games remaining this year seems even more difficult. A recent seven-game losing streak has sunk the team’s spirits, and the team’s three-month slide since June has created more despair than hope.
In this situation, Lotte aims to revitalize the atmosphere by switching to acting head coach Lee Jong-woon after Larry Sutton resigned due to health reasons. Given Lotte’s team colors, which are easily swayed by the mood, the team is capable of surging upwards once they get into a rhythm.
Speaking to reporters after the rainout against Hanwha in Daejeon on the 29th, acting coach Lee Jong-woon said, “They say we have a few games left, but I think that’s enough. “We’ve had a losing streak, but we’ve also had a winning streak,” he said. “Right now, we have to prepare well for one game, one match, do our best, and then see the results. It’s not like there’s no tomorrow,” he said, expressing his determination.토토사이트
True to Lee’s words, Lotte has won nine straight games in 15 years from April 20 against Sasik KIA to May 2 against Gwangju KIA. The team is not without strength. It’s up to Lee to manage the atmosphere and find a way to rebound.
“When the team is in a difficult situation and the fans are clapping and cheering for them, the players will feel it a lot. If you don’t feel it, you don’t deserve to be a professional athlete. Baseball is a team sport, and we emphasize that to our players. “It’s times like this that the veterans have to step up to the plate,” he said. “If they don’t do something that’s not team-oriented, we won’t make an exception and they won’t be with us for the rest of the season. We need our core players like Jeon Jun-woo, Ahn Chi-hong, and Jeong Hoon to step up.”
But there are too many variables. Starters Park Se-woong and Na Kyun-an will be out for the Hangzhou Asian Games next month. The team will be without two starters for about two weeks. There are also two doubleheaders against the Changwon NC on Oct. 2 and Sasik Samsung on Oct. 9. “Baseball has many variables,” Lee said. I try to think of it as a good thing,” Lee said.