It is the first season with the new team. I prepared with extraordinary determination, but the result was below expectations. With the help of helpers, the rebound began. Pro baseball Lotte right-hander sidearm starting pitcher Han Hyun-hee (30) thanked Kim Hyun-wook (53) conditioning coach and catcher Yoo Kang-nam (31).
◆ Resurrection after wandering
Han Hyun-hee debuted in 2012 at Nexen (currently Kiwoom) and played as a one-team man. After the end of last season, he transferred to Lotte after gaining qualification as a free agent (FA). He signed a contract for a total of 4 billion won for 3 + 1 years. He joined the Lotte starting lineup.
He struggled through the month of April. He was sluggish with an average ERA of 7.17 with 2 wins and 2 losses in 21⅓ innings in 5 games (4 starts). His batting average was 0.318, and his on-base percentage (WHIP) soared to 1.83. He was the highest among all starting pitchers in the league. After starting against Kiwoom on the 30th of last month (4⅔innings, 3 runs), I had time to reorganize for about 10 days.
On the 13th, he made his first appearance in May against Suwon KT. He contributed to a 5–0 victory with 110 total pitches, 6 innings, 4 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts and no runs. He achieved his first quality start of the season (6 or more innings and 3 earned runs or less) and recorded his 3rd win (2 losses). He announced his resurrection in front of 18,700 packed spectators. When he came down from the mound, Lotte fans applauded and chanted ‘Han Hyun-hee’.
Han Hyun-hee said, “It felt good to win. It was the first time fans shouted his name. He was horrified and stunned.”
◆Coach Hyun-wook Kim’s dedication
The first thing I thought of was Coach Hyun-wook Kim. Coach Kim, who was a sidearm pitcher during his active career, recorded 71 wins, 31 losses, 54 holds, 22 saves, and an ERA of 2.99 over a total of 10 seasons. He took special care of Han Hyun-hee, the same sidearm, from spring camp this year. We put our heads together for better performance.
Han Hyun-hee said, “The coach was in charge of me and taught me really hard one-on-one. It was to the point where everyone around me said, ‘In Coach Kim Hyun-wook’s eyes, only Han Hyun-hee can be seen. Thanks to his good teaching, the results seem to have improved. It helped a lot,” he said.안전놀이터
Countless drops of sweat led to conviction. Han Hyun-hee said, “I did a lot of training with the coach to find my original form. We always did shadow pitching or shifting the center of gravity together,” he said. That’s why I was confident,” he said. He said, “The coach must have suffered more than me. After pitching against KT, the coach continued to smile and said, ‘It was good. It was really good,’ he said. I am happy and grateful,” he added.
◆Yoo Kang-nam’s backing
catcher Yoo Gang-nam and battery breathing are in sync. Yoo Kang-nam is also a free agent transfer student. After working for LG from 2011 to last year, he joined Lotte for four years and a total of 8 billion won this year. As the main catcher, he leads Han Hyeon-hee. KT Jeonseo also added a sense of stability by catching all the balls that were far out of the strike zone.
Han Hyun-hee said, “I lost a lot of balls because I was trying not to get hit by the batter. (Yoo) Gangnam hyung must have had a hard time,” he said. “He suffered because of me. My teammates asked my brother, ‘Are you a goalkeeper?’” he smiled shyly. Yoo Gang-nam also added 2 RBIs with a ground ball and a sacrifice fly from KT. Han Hyun-hee said, “Hyung really did everything. After the game, he said thank you and hugged him,” he said. “The fielders defended well. I felt reassured while standing on the mound,” he smiled.
Lotte, which hovered in the lower ranks for the past four seasons in a row, leaped to the top this year. Han Hyun-hee said, “I believe the team is doing well and will do better in the future. All of her older brothers and sisters worked hard to prepare. I think it’s a ‘team to be’,” she raised her voice.