*This content was translated by AI.
"Whether it's Hanwha, Doosan, or KIA, we must catch up and beat them."
Kim Tae-hyung (59), manager of the Lotte Giants, is aiming higher. On the 2nd, ahead of their match against Jamsil Doosan Bears, Manager Kim met with reporters to discuss second-half goals.
When reporters asked, "To climb in the standings, shouldn't we pull down teams like Doosan and Hanwha?" Manager Kim replied, "We must catch up and beat them. Whether it's Hanwha, Doosan, or KIA, catching up and winning is necessary to reduce the gap," adding 'KIA' to his response.
Currently, Lotte sits in 8th place with 34 wins, 43 losses, and 2 draws. They trail 5th-place Doosan Bears by 5 games and 6th-place Hanwha Eagles by 4.5 games. However, Manager Kim Tae-hyung has revealed that even 4th-place KIA Tigers, who are 9 games ahead, remain within their reach.
This confidence appears to stem from Lotte's recent upward momentum. From June 16 through July, Lotte recorded an impressive 10 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses in their last 15 games, including a seven-game winning streak (with one draw) starting on June 16. Notably, they achieved four consecutive winning series (winning at least two of three games in each series), including a 2-1 record against the top-ranked LG Twins last weekend.
Manager Kim Tae-hyung stated, "Our pace improved in June, so if we maintain that through July and August, we should see good results." He added, "In our second game against LG on June 27, we were significantly behind but fought back until the end. We need to show more of that going forward." At the time, Lotte was down 5-8 in the bottom of the eighth inning but scored one run each in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings, engaging in a tense finish before ultimately losing 7-8.
On a personal level, he has experienced a miraculous late-season turnaround akin to a miracle. As manager of Doosan in 2019, until August 15 with only 33 games remaining, his team was in third place, nine games behind the first-place SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers), yet they ultimately secured the pennant and went on to win the Korean Series.
Manager Kim Tae-hyung emphasized, "The pitchers are performing well, and our starters have been consistently covering innings without fluctuation. While hitting always goes through cycles, if we continue like this, we must go all out in the second half. Players need to stay focused and win games; only then can we climb."
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
