Why did Lotte send 'this player'? The 'trading protagonist' has finally bloomed! Manager praises: "He was a starter from the beginning; now he must play regardless of left or right side."

*This content was translated by AI.

This is an extraordinary performance. He is the hero of the winning hit in three consecutive games. His batting average over the last 10 games reaches an impressive .400s. Kim Min-seok (22), who left Lotte Giants through a trade in the past and now wears the Doosan Bears uniform, is showing excellent batting form. The manager smiled and expressed even greater trust, saying, "He was a starter from the beginning."

Doosan secured a 3-2 victory over KIA in an away game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 26th. With this win, Doosan, which had previously won the last two of three midweek games against Hanwha Eagles, achieved a three-game winning streak. They maintained fifth place in the league with 37 wins, 2 draws, and 37 losses.

Kim Min-seok started the game as the fifth hitter and left fielder, delivering a perfect performance with 2 at-bats, 1 hit, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, and 2 walks. His bat began swinging quickly from the first inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, Kim Min-seok faced KIA starting pitcher Hwang Dong-ha. After a full-count battle extending to 10 pitches, he smashed a two-run single that landed just inside the right-field line. This hit became the game-winning hit of the day. It was the moment he hit a winning hit in three consecutive games, including the two-game series against Hanwha.

In the third inning, Kim Min-seok was retired on a fly ball to center field. In the sixth inning, he appeared as the leadoff batter and drew a walk on the sixth pitch against the reliever Jeon Sang-hyun. Later, when Park Ji-hoon executed a sacrifice bunt, Kim Min-seok advanced to second base. He then scored on An Jae-seok's two-run single to left field, adding another run.

In the eighth inning, with no outs and a runner on first, Kim Min-seok appeared in his fourth at-bat and drew a walk on the fifth pitch, completing his three-game on-base streak. He was then replaced by pinch runner Jo Su-haeng, concluding his participation in the game.

After this game, Kim Min-seok's batting average for the season stood at exactly 0.001 short of .300, at .299 (214 at-bats, 64 hits). He has appeared in 68 games this season, recording 6 home runs, 12 doubles, 2 triples, 27 RBIs, 30 runs scored, 2 stolen bases (0 failed), 26 walks, 42 strikeouts, a slugging percentage of .430, an on-base percentage of .376, an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .806, a batting average with runners in scoring position of .373, and a pinch-hit batting average of .375.

Especially in the last 10 games, he has recorded a .438 batting average (32 at-bats, 14 hits), 1 home run, 1 triple, 1 double, 5 RBIs, 3 runs scored, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

After the game, Kim Min-seok said, "In the first inning, I tried to hit within my zone while watching the ball as much as possible. A good opportunity came, and I approached it with the mindset that I had to make the most of this chance. I am happy to have been able to continue the team's winning streak with a game-winning hit in an important game."

He continued, "My batting form has been good recently. Coaches Lee Jin-young and Jo Jung-geun have been very supportive. I feel like I am gradually developing my own zone. By narrowing my zone and focusing only on pitches I can definitely hit, I believe it is leading to the desired results."

He also said, "In every at-bat, my first priority is always to get on base. Since there are many reliable hitters behind me, I believe that if I do my role well, runs will score. I would like to thank the fans who cheered loudly for us today as well. I will strive to continue this good momentum."

Kim Min-seok changed his uniform from Lotte to Doosan through a trade in November 2024. At that time, Doosan executed a 2-for-3 trade, sending pitchers Jung Cheol-won and infielder Jeon Min-jae to Lotte in exchange for Kim Min-seok, pitcher Choi Woo-in, and Cho Jae-hyun from Lotte. This move was evaluated as a "super-large trade" along with the transfer of a key prospect.

Before the game on the 26th, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyeong, when asked, "Can Kim Min-seok now be considered a starter?" smiled brightly and replied, "He was already a starter before." He added, "However, there were times when he was used according to the situation..." and continued, "It wasn't that we left him out on the first day of the series against Hanwha because he is a left-handed hitter; there was also the aspect that he was left out because he struggles against Ryu Hyun-jin. However, he will play more games now. I believe he is a hitter who must play regardless of whether he is left- or right-handed," simultaneously expressing high praise and trust.

Manager Kim said, "Actually, the first time I saw (Kim) Min-seok was when he entered Lotte as a rookie. Of course, he was doing well at the time, but he wasn't performing exceptionally well. Even so, in my view, a player who was only 19 years old was hitting well back then. I saw him as a player with batting talent that would allow him to excel in a few years. Of course, he did go through a downward spiral in the last two years. However, he practiced very hard this season. As he engaged in stubborn battles in every at-bat, I could see a fierce spirit emerging in him at the plate. Talent can explode in the first or second year, but some players take two to three years to show it," once again highly evaluating Kim Min-seok's ability.

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*This content was translated by AI.