It’s a backup’s revolt.
토토사이트Catcher Yoo Kang-nam, who signed a four-year, 8 billion won free agent contract, brought tangible and intangible positives to the Lotte Giants. His stabilising effect in the outfield was basic, and his long framing gave pitchers extra strikes and helped them win games, while his ability to play consistently without getting sick was a huge help to Lotte, who hadn’t had a starting catcher for a while.
When Yoo Kang-nam withdrew from the game against KIA in Gwangju on the 28th of last month due to an adductor muscle injury, the situation where it was difficult to build a complete team due to injuries to the main players was prolonged, and anxiety overwhelmed the stable Anbang. The combination of Information Geun and Son Sung-bin were responsible for the first-team backline for up to a month. It’s been five years since they’ve been without a starting catcher, which seems like a short time considering how much they’ve struggled, but it seemed like Lotte was going to struggle again.
In the two weeks since Yoo Kang-nam’s departure, Information Geun and Son Sung-bin have shown that they have grown up and are capable of handling the first-team defence without him. Their rebellion has helped Lotte regain momentum.
In the 14 games without Yoo Kang-nam, Lee Jung-geun and Son Sung-bin took turns wearing the starting catcher’s mask for seven games each. They also played most of the games in the second half of the season, when they were called upon to play catcher and defence. In 13 games, Son is batting 4-for-6 with 12 doubles (26 RBI), one home run, four RBI, and an OPS of 1.225. This year has been a different kind of year for the defensive-minded catcher. In the absence of Yoo Kang-nam, he leads the team in batting average and OPS. His hidden batting potential is exploding.
LOTTE Shin Jung-geun /OSEN DB
LOTTE Son Sung-bin /OSEN DB
Son Sung-bin is not far behind. In 10 games, he’s batting 3-for-7 with six RBIs in 16 at-bats and an .875 OPS. He’s been shrouded in secrecy, but he’s making a solid first-team push in his first season back from the Commodores as he regains first-team experience. His defence has also been solid, keeping the team in the game. The team is 6-8 without Yoo Kang-nam, but they rebounded last week when they faced Kiwoom and KIA, winning 4-2 and recording their second consecutive winning series.
With Lee Jung-geun and Son Seong-bin leading the team in a revolt, the team is now looking for Yoo Kang-nam to make a comeback. Yoo played in a secondary rehabilitation game against Seosan Hanwha on the 12th. On the 12th, he went 3-for-3 with a home run and played defence until the fifth inning before being substituted. The next day, on the 13th, he hit a two-run shot in the top of the seventh inning. He played all nine innings of defence.
For now, manager Larry Sutton is not rushing Yoo’s return. Before the Sajik KIA game on the 13th, Sutton said, “He did a good job in the second team. He played good defence and batted well. But we won’t call him up in a hurry. We’ll call him up when he’s fit enough. It’s obviously a big help to have him back, but his health is the priority. We will make sure he is 100 per cent fit and then we will call him up.”
OSEN DB
OSEN DB
This is a viable option as Lee and Son Sung-bin have been filling the void well. “The two catchers who are in the first team right now, Information Geun and Sung-bin Son, are healthy and doing a good job,” Sutton said. So we’re not in a hurry to call up Yoo Kang-nam,” Sutton explained.
Although he is playing, it is important that Yoo returns as healthy as possible to complete the rest of the season. His knee wasn’t in great shape before the adductor injury, so it’s important that he gets it under control.
The team is in a race against the clock to qualify for the autumn baseball season, so they need him to be on the field. However, we can’t overlook the importance of having a healthy body. That’s why it’s good to see Lee Chung-geun and Son Sung-bin in action. By not calling up Yoo Kang-nam prematurely, they’ve created a backdrop for him to slowly improve his form, and he’s been encouraged to make a comeback by seeing the juniors threatening his place.
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