'Ma-hwang' Almost Never Happened: "I Was About to Quit Baseball After Not Being Drafted, Then Went to College; Paid Off Student Loans with Signing Bonus" [Hwang Seong-bin HOT Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

It was possible that 'Ma-hwang' would never have appeared in the KBO League.

Hwang Seong-bin (29), an outfielder for Lotte Giants, considered quitting baseball after not being selected in the rookie draft upon graduating from Sorae High School. However, with his parents' persuasion, he enrolled at Kyungnam University and four years later joined Lotte, reaching today's position.

[Hwang Seong-bin HOT Interview]

① Behind-the-scenes of the All-Star Game: "I Asked the Manager, 'If You Want to Walk a Dog, You Need an Owner'"

② 'Ma-hwang' Almost Never Happened: "I Was About to Quit Baseball After Not Being Drafted, Then Went to College; Paid Off Student Loans with Signing Bonus"

Continued from Part 1.

- Let's talk about the past now. You weren't selected in the 2016 KBO rookie draft, right?

▶ Yes, that's correct. My high school performance was decent, so I had secretly hoped for a lower round... but it was very disappointing.

- That must have been really hard.

▶ I struggled a lot with whether to continue playing baseball or go to college. I even considered quitting entirely. After all, investing four years doesn't guarantee an uncertain future; no one can predict it. Plus, I'm the eldest of three siblings (two brothers and one sister), so my parents had already done everything they could for me. The thought of not delivering results weighed heavily on me.

- So you ended up going to Kyungnam University.

▶ My parents expressed their wish for me to attend college. At that young age, I impulsively told them, "If you allow it, I'll pay the tuition myself for four years." In reality, I paid my tuition through student loans for four years and then repaid everything in a lump sum after receiving my professional signing bonus (70 million won). That was the first promise I made to myself at age 20, and I remember keeping it.

- Four years later, in the 2020 draft, you were selected by Lotte in the second round, fifth pick (44th overall). Did you expect that?

▶ I thought I would be drafted. I received an invitation from the KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) and was present at the draft venue. I also believed my college performance was outstanding. I still remember: over four years, I played 70 games, recorded 111 hits with a .411 batting average and stole 85 bases. While it would have been better if the round had been higher, my first goal since childhood was to become a professional player. So simply being able to wear a professional baseball uniform made me excited.

- Right after joining the team, you entered active military service in April 2020.

▶ I couldn't make it to the first division in my rookie year and prepared in the minor league. Initially, I thought about serving for about a year before enlisting. However, due to COVID-19, the regular season opening was delayed until May 5 that year. The club then asked, "What do you think about going to the military quickly?" After some consideration, since resolving my military obligation was inevitable anyway, I clicked on the Military Manpower Administration website for first-come, first-served enlistment on any day and succeeded immediately, enlisting 13 days later.

- I understand your jersey number changed several times after joining. How did you come to wear No. 0 now?

▶ I wore No. 0 as a rookie. After returning from the military in 2022, I wore No. 40. Then in 2023, wanting to carry on the image of former Lotte Giants player Jeon Jun-ho (57) from Daejeon, I switched to No. 1. Unfortunately, that year I suffered an injury and had poor performance. When An Kwon-soo (33) left the team, I took over his No. 0 starting in 2024.

- After going through those times, you've now become a senior player on the team. Especially as the most senior among Lotte's famous "Yoon-Na-Go-Hwang" (Yoon Dong-hee born in 2003, Na Seung-yeop in 2002, Go Seung-min in 2000, Hwang Seong-bin in 1997), you must feel a strong sense of responsibility.

▶ Last year, we all played poorly... First, I spend a lot of time privately with the younger players below me, so we're very close. During games, since I often lead off, those three players (Yoon-Na-Go) are almost always batting right after me. I always think that if I can just get on base somehow, the batters behind me will hit well enough to bring me home. Therefore, how many bases I can reach significantly impacts the team's offensive performance, so I focus most on that aspect.

- Do you give a lot of advice as a senior player?

▶ I try to share positive things often. However, I frequently feel that the younger players are surprisingly mature for their age. At their age, I couldn't think that deeply, so I also learn and observe from them. I believe this is one of the positive influences of team sports.

- Your nickname is 'Ma-hwang' (meaning 'Hwang with devilish intensity'). Do you like it?

▶ Yes, I do. It's probably my favorite nickname. It also has a catchy feel that sticks in the mind.

Continued in Part 3 of [Hwang Seong-bin HOT Interview].

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*This content was translated by AI.