'First SV in 11 games': Kim Won-jeong makes a comeback! "Emotional struggles? It's only natural for a human being → I hope fans felt good hearing the bell for the ninth inning after such a long time"

*This content was translated by AI.

At Sajik Baseball Stadium, Lotte Giants' home field, the "bell of hell" symbolizing Kim Won-jeong (33) finally rang in the ninth inning. Kim Won-jeong, who recorded a save after 11 games, openly shared his honest feelings about his poor start to the season.

On the 28th, Lotte defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 5-4 in a home game at Busan Sajik Stadium. Although they fell behind 5-4 after allowing two runs in the ninth while leading 5-2, Kim Won-jeong entered the game and prevented any further scoring.

On this day, Lotte's closer Choi Jun-yong entered the game in a save situation but allowed two runs. With no outs and a runner on first base, Kim Won-jeong quickly took the mound.

Facing a tense situation where a comeback could have been allowed, Kim Won-jeong was unstoppable. He induced a shortstop grounder from his first batter, An Chi-hong, to record two outs via a double play, and then struck out the next batter, Kim Geon-hee, to end the game cleanly. He retired just three batters in a row, securing the team's victory. This was his first save of the season, breaking a slump at the start of the season and a silence of 11 games without a save. Kim Won-jeong's fastest pitch reached 148 km/h, and his average velocity was recorded at 147 km/h.

In a post-game interview, Kim Won-jeong shared his honest feelings about his poor start to the season. He began by saying, "If I hadn't gone through emotional struggles, I wouldn't be human," and continued, "But what I must do is go to the baseball field, train, and prepare for games. Above all, thanks to the extensive support from the trainer team, I was able to quickly get my body back in shape."

While acknowledging that his preparation process was not smooth due to the aftermath of a traffic accident in December last year, Kim Won-jeong never made excuses on the mound. He stated, "It's true that not being fully prepared and getting injured may have had some impact, but that doesn't mean other teams will hold back when I'm pitching on the mound. I honestly don't like making such excuses." He showed a strong sense of responsibility.

Finally, he mentioned the bell sound in the ninth-inning save situation, which is his trademark and symbolic music. Regarding his entrance music that rings every time he takes the mound, Kim Won-jeong said, "It's been a while since I heard the bell, and I hope all the fans felt good about it." He added, "I will prepare well so that I can always bring you the sound of a happy bell," conveying his sincerity to the fans.

Although Lotte is currently stuck in the lower ranks of the league, Kim Won-jeong's focus is on moving up. He said, "Since our starting pitchers are doing well, there is plenty of room to climb the standings." He continued, "I believe that if our entire team unites with one heart, we can definitely move up in the standings, and we are playing with that belief." He expressed confidence in a rebound.

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*This content was translated by AI.