Substitute sweep final hit overcomes resignation idol's wounds

"A chance to make up for it," but the result was different from three weeks ago

'Sajik Idol' Kim Min-seok overcame the pressure and came out on top.

Lotte won 13-4 against the NC Dinos at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Feb. 2. Lotte bounced back to improve to 22-32-2 on the season.

Trailing 2-4 in the top of the sixth inning, Lotte scored seven runs in a big inning to overcome the deficit. The big inning started with Kim Min-seok. In the sixth inning, Lotte's leadoff hitter Reyes singled to center field. Son Ho-young struck out, but Lee Jung-hoon drew a walk and Na Seung-yeop singled to right to load the bases. 

Lotte welcomed Yoo Kang-nam and Lee Hak-joo to the plate. With runners on first and second and third in the fourth inning, both Yoo and Lee struck out to end the threat.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung made a series of substitutions. Choi Hang came in to pinch-hit for Yoo Kang-nam. Choi struck out, and Lee brought in Kim Min-seok to bat for Lee Hak-joo. Kim Min-seok had a painful memory as he pinch-hit with the bases loaded against Sajik LG Electronics on March 12. Kim entered the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning with a slim 4-3 lead. He was pinch-hitting for Lee Hak-joo.

However, Kim Min-seok hit a grounder to first baseman-catcher-first baseman to end the inning. With Kim Min-seok unable to get out of the jam, Lotte lost the game 4-6.

But this time was different. Kim stepped up to the plate and came through. With the bases loaded, he took advantage of NC Ryu Jin-wook's three-pitch 143-kilometer fastball for a three-run double over the center field fence. The game went from 2-4 to 5-4, and Ko Seung-min's grand slam sealed the victory. It was Kim's first game-winning hit of the season.

After the game, Kim said, "It's the best feeling to win this series," adding, "I was preparing to pinch hit from the third inning. I kept getting pushed back. Earlier, (Choi) Hang struck out, so I was under pressure, but I thought I had to overcome this situation, and I came to the plate thinking that I wouldn't miss a strike, which led to a good result."

Kim Min-seok became the first high school rookie to reach 100 hits last year. He was a starter last year but was relegated to the backup role this year. Manager Kim Tae-hyung judged Kim soberly. "I heard a lot of good things even if I couldn't do it in the first year, but I think this is the reality in the second year, and I have to admit it and practice hard, and I think athletes should always show their results," Kim said.

He also talked about the pinch-hitting situation, saying, "My batting average was not good. Coach Kim Joo-chan and Coach Lim Hoon told me to think, 'This is a chance to make up for it,' so I gained confidence, and I didn't think about anything else, and I went in with the thought of not being late with one fastball, and I think I got a hit."

Kim had gone 0-for-2 as a pinch-hitter this year, including a walk-off hit against LG Electronics on March 12, and 0-for-9 last year. His career total was 11-for-11 as a pinch-hitter, but he broke that silence today. 

He's been called a 'resignation idol' but this year he's been in the second team longer. He is trying to overcome this with hard work. He said, "I went back and forth between the second team two or three times this year. It was mentally tough. Mentally, I thought it was better to be physically tired than mentally tired, so I practiced more and took a lot of practice so that I wouldn't think about anything else," he emphasized. "I've always been confident in my ability to rebound, and I've been chased mentally because of some bad results, but I think I've gained a lot of confidence based on today's performance," he said, looking forward to a smiling future.