"They're asking me to wear a princess dress," Samsung's Lee Seung-min, making his first All-Star appearance, offers a grievous defense: "I may not be a 'Teto,' but..." [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung Lions left-handed pitcher Lee Seung-min (26) expressed his excitement and complex feelings about being selected for his first All-Star game.

Ahead of the Jamsil LG game on the 24th, Lee Seung-min said, "I was letting my guard down because the vote margins kept changing. (Bae) Chan-seung encouraged me by saying, 'I also had a large vote difference, but I was able to overturn it through the player vote,' but I didn't have high expectations."

Last year's All-Star participant Bae Chan-seung (20) was right in his prediction. Lee Seung-min received 1,365,505 votes in the fan poll, finishing second in the Dream All-Star starting pitcher category behind Doosan Bears' Kim Jung-woo's 1,570,249 votes. However, in the player vote, he received 109 votes, second only to SSG Landers' Moon Seung-won's 125 votes, and with a total score of 27.54, he confidently made the Best 12, surpassing Kim Jung-woo.

Lee Seung-min said, "When I returned to the dorm after practice, I received so many messages that I was surprised. I felt good because I received many congratulatory messages from various places saying I had made it. Being actually selected was truly an honor, and I was grateful to the fans who voted for me." He expressed his gratitude to everyone who voted for him.

He added, "I have watched the All-Star game every year. Any baseball player would want to participate and be selected at least once. When I was in the military, I participated in the Futures All-Star game, and my goal then was to make it to the first division All-Star team."

The fact that he was selected through the player vote is significant because it means his teammates, who play alongside him, have recognized his performance. Lee Seung-min has been solidly supporting Samsung's core this year with 35 games, 2 wins, no losses, 11 holds, an ERA of 1.65, and 23 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings.

Lee Seung-min said, "At the beginning, the results were going well, and I had confidence in my pitches. But at some point, my balance started to fail, and I haven't been able to show the good form I had early on. Everyone talks about stamina, but honestly, I think that's just an excuse. I am pitching with the mindset of regaining my balance and starting over to throw my pitches no matter what."

Of course, he was paying special attention to the stamina concerns. Lee Seung-min said, "I lose weight after throwing a game. Especially when the weather is hot, I lose everything through sweat, so I drink a lot of water. Other than that, I am working hard on weight training and running. The training coaches are also helping me well. I try to eat whatever I can for lunch and dinner, avoiding late-night snacks as much as possible. I am also consistently taking nutritional supplements." He smiled.

Now that he is actually going to the All-Star game, he is wondering what kind of performance to prepare. In that regard, Daegu's junior Bae Chan-seung and rookie Jang Chan-hee (19) are actively stepping up.

Lee Seung-min said, "(Bae) Chan-seung and (Jang) Chan-hee are already asking me, 'Hyung, what are you going to do?' They keep telling me to do something fun. Honestly, I don't know what to do. Chan-seung insists on doing something fun. It seems like he wants to see me look bad in some way. He keeps telling me to do something fun right in my ear. It seems like that's all there is in Chan-seung's mind right now." He showed a complex smile.

It is particularly sigh-worthy that the performance concept Bae Chan-seung is pushing for Lee Seung-min is a "princess." Lee Seung-min said, "Fans have given me many nicknames, and I don't dislike any of them. Recently, I think I am being called 'Aegen Seung-min' and 'Princess' a lot."

'Aegen' is a shortened form of estrogen, a term recently given to people with gentle personalities. The opposite is 'Teto,' an abbreviation for testosterone, which is given to people with strong personalities. When asked about his actual personality, Lee Seung-min said, "I admit I have an 'Aegen' personality. (Bae) Chan-seung keeps telling me to wear a princess dress during the performance. I admit I am not on the 'Teto' side, but the term 'princess' feels a bit unfair." He protested.

He continued, "My teammates joke that I 'appear on many local broadcasts' and 'talk too much.' But I don't talk too much. I just end up talking a lot while explaining myself. Even now, as I explain like this, I end up talking more." He expressed his grievance, saying, "Now that the term 'princess' is even appearing on Lions TV, fans are calling me that. I am grateful, but it is also unfair." He raised his voice.

Despite his gentle personality, he was entirely a 'Teto-man' whenever the topic turned to baseball. His tone was clear and strong. Lee Seung-min said, "My goal is to throw my pitches with confidence again until the All-Star break. No matter the situation, I will try to compete more actively with batters with the mindset that if I do my role, it will help the team." He added, "I will focus as much as possible on one batter and one pitch rather than an inning. I will finish the first half well, rest well, and show the form I had at the beginning of the season until the end of the season."

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*This content was translated by AI.