'In Crisis' Lotte Manager Kim Tae-hyung in 'Final Year of Contract,' Makes Meaningful Remark → Successful Three-Game Winning Streak: 'Will a Major Turnaround Be Achieved?'

*This content was translated by AI.

The manager dropped a meaningful remark ahead of the game.

"Our team lacks a solid middle-of-the-order lineup."

And the players, as if to prove it, displayed sharp focus and succeeded in a three-game winning streak.

On the 2nd, Lotte defeated the SSG Landers 7-5 in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League at Incheon SSG Landers Field.

With this victory, Lotte extended its winning streak to three games, recording 11 wins, 1 tie, and 17 losses. On the same day, Kiwoom Heroes, also competing in the standings race, won and maintained 10th place, but this was clearly a meaningful winning streak.

On this day, Lotte excluded 'Veteran' Jeon Jun-woo from the starting lineup. Han Dong-hee was also left out of the starting roster.

There was a reason. Before the game, Kim Tae-hyung, manager of Lotte, stated, "In fact, the designated hitter spot should be filled by Han Dong-hee rather than Jeon Jun-woo. Jun-woo has been playing continuously, but it is true that he has not been hitting well."

The manager continued, "He has been performing well in the lower part of the lineup, but strong teams are those with a strong middle-of-the-order lineup. The team becomes stronger when the middle-of-the-order hitters perform well." He then added a meaningful remark, "Thinking about it, our team lacks a middle-of-the-order lineup," and smiled.

In October 2023, Lotte appointed Kim Tae-hyung as manager. The contract period was three years, with a total value of 2.4 billion won (600 million won signing bonus and 600 million won annual salary). This year marks the final year of the contract.

There is much talk surrounding Manager Kim both inside and outside the baseball world. This is because the team's performance is the worst among the 10th KBO League clubs.

However, Lotte is recently showing a changed appearance. With four wins and one loss in the last five games, the team is eyeing a leap to the middle of the standings.

Furthermore, the timing for the team to achieve a major turnaround is approaching. Players who caused controversy by visiting local gambling arcades during the February spring camp in Taiwan are expected to return.

Earlier, the KBO Disciplinary Committee imposed a 50-game suspension on Kim Dong-hyeok, who was confirmed to have visited three times, and 30-game suspensions on Ko Seung-min, Na Seung-yeop, and Kim Se-min, who each visited once. Ko Seung-min, Na Seung-yeop, and Kim Se-min, who received 30-game suspensions, will be eligible to register in the first-division roster starting from the away game against Suwon KT Wiz on the 5th.

In a recent interview, Manager Kim stated, "I have met with those players. Once the suspension release date arrives, I will bring them up immediately." This means he intends to register them in the first-division roster as soon as the suspensions end. Ultimately, while evaluating the current players, if the three returning players are in better condition, they are expected to be actively utilized. Currently, Lotte ranks 9th in the league with a team batting average of 0.251.

After the victory on the 2nd, Manager Kim said, "Starting pitcher Na Gyun-an pitched well with seven innings and two earned runs. It was regrettable that he had pitched well but did not secure a win, so I want to congratulate him on his first win of the season." He added, "We were able to win thanks to the balanced performance of the fielders, including three hits by Yoon Dong-hee and three RBIs by Reyes. I also want to express my gratitude to the fans who filled the away stands and cheered enthusiastically." Will Lotte continue its winning streak and achieve a major turnaround?

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*This content was translated by AI.