'Worried About Lotte Until the Moment of Departure' Return to Former Team After 14 Years → Retires Without Fulfilling Dream of Fall Baseball: "It Wasn't Something I Could Change Alone... But I Believe in the Younger Players"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The fall baseball he dreamed of upon returning to his former team after 14 years was ultimately not realized. Kim Min-seong (38), who announced his retirement from active duty, left the field carrying regret over Lotte Giants' ninth consecutive postseason (PS) elimination.

Kim held a retirement press conference on the 9th ahead of the home game against LG Twins in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium. Kim, who began his professional career with Lotte in 2007, returned to his former team in 2024 after playing for Nexen Heroes and LG. At the time, he signed a free agent (FA) contract with LG worth up to 900 million won over three years before rejoining Lotte through a sign-and-trade deal.

What Lotte expected of him was not merely a reinforcement of team strength. It was his versatility to handle all infield positions and leadership that would serve as a model for the young roster. In fact, at the time of his acquisition, Lotte stated, "We expect Kim Min-seong, who has strong responsibility and can play all infield positions, to become a leader who serves as an example for the young players."

Kim also returned with a clear goal: to end the long wait of his former team, which had not appeared on the fall baseball stage since 2017. "When I came back to Lotte, I brought dreams with me. The results were consistently poor and lacking, but I believed that one day we would definitely achieve a good result like making the top four, so I returned," he said.

However, Lotte's reality was not easy. Newly starting under Manager Kim Tae-hyung (59) in 2024, Lotte finished seventh with a record of 66 wins, 4 draws, and 74 losses, for a winning percentage of .471. They suffered a four-game losing streak from the opening and fell to last place with 8 wins, 1 draw, and 21 losses by April, facing difficulties from the early part of the season.

In 2025, hope seemed to appear. As of August 6, they were in third place with a record of 58 wins, 3 draws, and 45 losses. At that time, the probability of postseason advancement soared to 94.9%. However, everything changed as they suffered a 12-game losing streak from August 7 to 23.

Amid injuries to key players and simultaneous slumps in pitching and batting, Lotte again finished seventh with a record of 66 wins, 6 draws, and 72 losses, for a winning percentage of .478. It was their eighth consecutive postseason elimination. At the time, Kim did not spare harsh words for his younger teammates.

Ahead of the season's end, he said, "I believe I became a starter through failure and have been able to play baseball until now. It is okay to overlook mistakes made during play, but if you think it was easy because you lost because of me after the game ends, that is not an issue to be taken lightly." He added, "It is a disappointing season, but I hope the message gets across. Because it is not an easy issue, it must be accepted seriously," emphasizing, "If we fail when this experience comes again, there will be no excuses."

It was that urgent. It was not simply a matter of passing off one season's failure; he believed the entire roster needed to reflect on the causes of failure and change. However, there was no reversal even in the final year, 2026. Lotte fell to last place after recording their seventh consecutive losing series with a loss to LG on June 14. Although there were moments of rebound, such as a five-game winning streak in June, the gap with the top five widened significantly from mid-August, making fall baseball virtually impossible.

In September, they ran a six-game winning streak again to save their last dignity, but it was already too late. Lotte failed to advance to the postseason for nine consecutive seasons from 2018 to 2026. There was no fall baseball even during Manager Kim Tae-hyung's contract period of the recent three years.

It was also a disappointing three years for Kim personally. In 2024, he appeared in only 35 games. Last year, he recorded a .243 batting average, 3 home runs, and 35 RBIs in 96 games. This year, he managed a .138 batting average, 1 home run, and 4 RBIs in 17 games. After being removed from the first division roster following his last game against KT in Suwon on the 10th of last month, he ultimately decided to retire.

Kim revealed, "I have felt a lot during these three years. It is not something that can be done alone, nor can it be changed no matter how hard one tries individually. I felt once again that it is not just my strength; all players and the club must work together to achieve a good ending."

It was close to the reality felt by the Veteran who had wanted change for his former team without blaming anyone. Kim did not spare harsh words and nagging for young players this year either, offering not only kind words but also criticism. Although he knew it might be burdensome for the younger players, he believed it was necessary talk for the team.

Kim said, "If I had only said nice things and just looked away, I don't think we would have built this kind of relationship. At first, the younger players may have felt a bit burdened, but I believe they came to understand what kind of senior I am through living together." He added, "Because we trust each other, I felt that when I gave harsh words or nagged, they were accepting it sincerely. That is enough."

What remained most in his heart was the fact that he could not produce the desired results. Kim explained, "Honestly, the reason I have come this far is because of my affection for Lotte. If I had only thought about myself, I would have met with the club and made a decision in the early to mid-season, but since it was during the season and I didn't want to make a decision alone, I waited." He expressed regret, saying, "I wanted to spend good time with the players, finish with good results, and then announce my retirement, but I couldn't, so I feel a bit bad."

Although he did not fulfill his dream, he did not let go of his belief in his younger teammates. Kim expressed hope, saying, "Definitely, our players are doing their best until the end right now. Whether next year or the year after, I always have a positive mindset that Lotte will consistently stay in the upper ranks with better results than now."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original