"Watching LG's victory stimulated me a lot, we also tried it."
Lotte captain Jeon Jun-woo (38) predicted that the enthusiasm of Busan and Lotte fans in Kudo (球都) will be so intense that it is hard to imagine on the day when Lotte Giants win the championship. As such, Lotte's players and fans have tremendous aspiration to win the title.
Last year, the LG Twins became the unified KBO league champion for the first time in 29 years. On the other hand, Lotte's winning clock, which is considered the most popular club in the KBO league along with LG, has stopped in 1992. "We want to win the championship in the new year," said Jeon Joon-woo, "the present of Lotte," and Han Dong-hee, 25, who symbolizes Lotte's future, at Sajik Stadium in Busan.
Jeon Joon-woo, who joined the club in 2008, is a franchise star who signed two free agency contracts with Lotte. He ranked first in batting average (0.312), home runs (17), and RBIs (77) last year. When he signed a four-year FA contract worth 4.7 billion won (3.1 million U.S. dollars) in November last year, he was promised "training as a leader." He reserved "giants man" even after his retirement. Han Dong-hee, a native of Gyeongnam High School, joined Lotte in 2018 after receiving the first nomination. Lee Dae-ho himself picked Lee as his successor. He has the resources to take charge of Lotte's central lineup from now on.
Jeon Jun-woo visited Changwon NC Park, where the third playoff game between the NC Dinos and the KT Wiz was held, on Nov. 2 last year. "Aseob (Son) gave me a ticket and told me to come cheer for him," he said. "I watched the game from the stands for the first time since I started playing baseball, and it was different. I wished we could have played fall baseball as well."
"I felt that (Lotte) would have gone up in recent years, but I couldn't," Han Dong-hee said. "If we had had this game, we would have gone up further." The season was full of disappointment. It topped the list last year, but fell to an endless extent. I went back and forth between cold and hot baths. I reflected a lot on myself."
For Lotte, LG's victory is a huge encouragement. Coincidentally, LG wore a winning t-shirt and cap after the game against Lotte in Busan on Oct. 4 last year, and toured Sajik Stadium with a winning flag. It was a regular season championship ceremony. "LG didn't win the title for a long time like us. LG considered last year to be the right time for LG to win the title, but we won the title due to a lot of good energy," Jeon said. "Since LG won the title, we will attract a lot of attention from baseball fans. We should go to a good position (to advance to PS and win the title) just like LG."
Last fall, Lotte chose a big change. It appointed Kim Tae-hyung, the winning contractor, and appointed Park Jun-hyuk, the team's general manager, who started as a rank-and-file employee and worked for Lotte for 16 years. "A lot of talented coaches, general managers, and elite coaches joined the team. Everyone's expectations were high. Coach Kim Tae-hyung, who has charisma and leadership, performed well with the Doosan Bears (to advance to the Korean Series for seven consecutive years), so we can trust him and follow him," Jeon said.
Han Dong-hee, who received manager Kim Tae-hyung's "ball touch" at the end of October last year, said, "I think I meant to do well," adding, "He advised me a lot about batting posture, swing, and psychology at the closing camp."