"I thought my glove was torn." Why let the ball right down the middle... How did Lotte's shocking 9th-inning fail occur?

*This content was translated by AI.

He missed a breaking ball that stuck in the ground, and also missed a ball that veered far to the side, but he let go of the one right down the middle. Even for Lotte Giants catcher Son Seong-bin (24), it was a scene he could not easily explain to himself.

Son Seong-bin told StarNews ahead of the match against Gwangju KIA Tigers on the 4th, "I had a strange feeling even before the failed play. It was the first time I had ever felt this in my life; my hand felt numb. It might have been in my mind, but right before that, a fastball slipped out of my glove and rolled to the side, and from then on, I felt off."

On the 2nd, Lotte suffered a shocking comeback loss in a game against Gwangju KIA. With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning, one out, and a runner on second base, catcher Son Seong-bin dropped a hanbok-plate slider hit by Choi Jun-yong. During that moment, second baseman Kim Gyu-seong advanced to third base, and Han Jun-su hit a sacrifice fly to center field, driving in one run to lead KIA to a 5-4 comeback victory.

It was a mistake rarely seen in professional play. Son Seong-bin, who could have become a hero with that single play, had to leave the field with his head down. Earlier that day, in the top of the 8th inning with two outs and runners on second and third, Son Seong-bin hit a two-run single to left-center field to take a 4-3 lead, and he also threw himself to catch a foul fly, performing brilliantly both offensively and defensively.

It was a play that shocked even the player himself. Son Seong-bin said, "I really don't know why it happened. It was the first time in my career as a catcher. I hit a go-ahead home run, made a failed play, and I essentially dominated the game." He added, "It felt like my brain circuits stopped. I couldn't think at all while taking the bus to the hotel. Usually, when I get back to the lodging, I review the game of the day, but I couldn't watch baseball that day. I thought if I played baseball with that mindset, I would sink even lower."

Teammates helped stabilize his shaken mental state. Jang Du-seong brought him ice cream, and senior players protected Son Seong-bin with light jokes. Son Seong-bin expressed gratitude, saying, "The seniors joked that they thought my glove was torn, which helped me relax. Actually, I thought my glove was torn at first too. There were seniors who encouraged me by saying it could happen."

He continued, "I try not to keep dwelling on the past. Dwelling on it won't bring it back. I believe there is no such thing as 'what if' in this world. I am just reviewing that situation to think about how to prepare next time and am trying to live in the present and future."

A manager who was also a catcher wrapped Son Seong-bin in support. Kim Tae-hyung, Lotte's manager, cited Son Seong-bin and Park Jae-yeop as potential starting catchers, saying, "(Son) Seong-bin is not the best at catching the ball for a catcher. Still, his defense has improved a lot. When I first came here, I caught the ball like a regular position player even during bullpen pitching. Now it has improved a lot. His blocking timing has also gotten better, and if he finds psychological stability, he can improve even more."

In response, Son Seong-bin said, "The manager was also a catcher, so I think he understood. Mistakes like the one on the 2nd (the 2nd) should not be too big, but I also think there are still many things I have not experienced in my baseball career. I will make more mistakes, but there will also be better results to match. I will forget the past and try to get better every day."

The same applies to his poor batting performance. As of the end of the game on the 4th, Son Seong-bin was batting .216 (116 at-bats, 25 hits) with one home run and 10 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 0.565 over 52 games. While it is true that he focused on defense during his first full-time opportunity, he has no intention of thinking about his poor batting.

Son Seong-bin said, "As a catcher, it is true that I always prioritize defense, but I am also paying attention to batting. I am always preparing hard to hit better. I am also picking up trash very hard." He added, "I believe in the law of total quantity. Even if many bad things happen, if I keep working hard, better things will come back in return. Even though our team has many losses now, I think this experience will accumulate and turn into victories. For that day, I will do my best again."

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*This content was translated by AI.