The Lotte Giants’ backstop this season has been the pinch-hitting duo of Koo Seung-min and Kim Won-joong. They were supplemented by veteran Kim Sang-soo.

온라인카지노That changed in the second half. Koo Seung-min and Kim Sang-soo took over the 6th and 7th innings, with the returning Choi Jun-yong on the mound in the 8th. Kim Won-joong remains in charge of the ninth inning.

Choi has come on strong in the second half of the season, pitching seven innings in seven games with a 2.57 ERA. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in six of those games, except against Kiwoom on July 23 (2 runs). Koo Seung-min also hasn’t allowed an earned run in the second half of the season, except for July 30 against KIA (2 runs).

Are the pitchers being reassigned based on their performance? “They’re both pitchers I trust,” Lotte manager Larry Sutton told reporters before the game against the Busan NC Dinos on July 3.

“They’re pitchers I trust to get us out of any situation. However, there were a lot of times when we lost the lead in the sixth or seventh inning, so I thought it would be stable to get a solid win with Koo Seung-min and continue with the eighth or ninth inning.”

The 2023 KBO League game between the Doosan Bears and the Lotte Giants was held at Jamsil Stadium on June 26. Lotte’s Koo Seung-min pitches in relief. Jamsil=Park Jae-man 기자pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.07.26/
Wilkerson’s presence, Barnes’ rebound, and Choi’s recovery solidified the mound. Lotte is confident that they can jump back into the top five if the bats come alive like they did the day before.

In particular, Barnes’ form in the second half of the season has been remarkable. “You can’t play at 100% all the time,” Sutton said. There are games where you have to raise your concentration even if you’re not at your best,” Sutton said. “That’s what I liked about Barnes’ performance yesterday. He pitched aggressively early in the count and utilized all three of his pitches,” he praised.

The 2023 KBO League game between the Lotte Giants and the NC Dinos was held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on April 1. Lotte’s Kim Won-joong. Busan=Park Jae-man 기자pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.08.01/
Barnes pitched the sixth inning despite having thrown 91 pitches through five innings. Barnes used his changeup against left-handed hitters and managed to complete a quality start (three earned runs or less over six innings).

“He’s a special pitcher,” said Kim Won-joong, who has the most saves in Lotte’s history (95). Every year, his faith and confidence in his pitches grows stronger. He will set more records in the future.”