Should I wait for a huge 100-hold contract

In 2015, he won an unwelcome modifier for Lee Seung-yeop (current Doosan manager) as a pitcher who allowed 400 home runs in his career, but since then, he has built a career to completely erase these modifiers.

Koo Seung-min, who joined the team in 2016 and took classes in the must-win group, started building Lotte's history in 2018. In 2018, his first season after being discharged from the military, he made a soft landing in the must-win group for the first team, leaving a record of 7 wins, 4 losses, 14 holds with an ERA of 3.67 in 64 games. In 2019, he suffered from growth with one win, 4 losses, 2 saves, and 6 holds with an ERA of 6.25. He also rested one tempo after undergoing surgery to remove bone fragments in his elbow.

Since then, Koo has been reborn as a must-win group that represents the league. Starting with the 20 hold in 2020, he has achieved the 20 hold for four consecutive years through last year. It was the second milestone in the history of the Korean pro-baseball league, following An Ji-man from 2012 to 2015.

As he achieved 20 holds for four consecutive years, he played at least 57 games and 60 innings. During the period, he pitched 265 games, tying for first in the most appearances (SSG Seo Jin-yong) among bullpen pitchers in the league. He dedicated himself as a must-winner and a yardstick. He then set the record of 100 holds for the first time by Lotte, rising to the ranks of the best bullpen pitcher in Lotte's history.

Looking back on the past four years, Koo Seung-min said, "I'm really proud to see it after I've passed away. Since it's a record of consistent performance, I think I've been recognized by coaches and coaches as "a player who can calculate this much," adding, "I feel good to be recognized as a pitcher who is not sick and can do this much."

Koo did not dwell on the record every year. Whenever he was mentioned about the 20-hold record, he stressed, "If I continue to do my job without getting sick, the record will naturally follow." As such, he only watched the beginning of each game and ran. Eventually, he was able to exercise his FA status.

The same goes for his mindset as a prospective free agent. "I've been running for nothing since I was young. I just watched games and seasons in front of my eyes. I couldn't have expected to play as a free agent," he recalled of his past.

"I didn't just focus on FA. If you pay attention to it, you might get physical strain. That's why I'll do what I've been doing. I haven't filled all my FA qualifications yet, right? I think I'll be able to relate to FA when I completely fill my FA qualifications, meet the 60-game 60-inning goal, and the season is over."

He needs to take care of himself to enhance his value and continue his performances this year. He was briefly shaken by shoulder pain at the end of last year. Detailed figures were not satisfactory either. "I think the figures got a little worse as I threw uncomfortable in my shoulder. I think I couldn't throw the ball confidently when I should have made it easy," he said. "I think I should prepare better without any inconvenience this year."

Koo Seung-min will be included in the Guam spring camp advance team, where 13 pitchers including Kim Won-joong, Na Kyun-an and Jin Hae-soo will leave on January 21, and will prepare for the FA season and the big hit early. Expectations are high as he couldn't join the Guam camp last year due to personal reasons. "It was easy to go to a warm place early and train. I'm looking forward to it," he said with a smile.

안전놀이터