“Now it’s just a matter of climbing”

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard…but I threw harder.”

Busan’s ‘long-haired finisher’ finally emerged from the long darkness. A teammate’s ‘super catch’ brought him out of the nightmare.

The Lotte Giants won a hard-fought 6-5, one-run victory in the first game of the midweek series against the NC Dinos at Sajik Stadium in Busan on June 6.

It was a miraculous come-from-behind victory. Lotte was down 0-4 and 1-5 when ace Wilkerson faltered.

But they tied the game with just one chance. In the bottom of the seventh inning, trailing 1-5, a bases-loaded walk and a hit batsman led to a run-scoring single by Jeon “Captain” Jun-woo.

Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Na Seung-yup, who is having the best year of his career, delivered the game-winning hit. The flow of the game was highlighted by the introduction of pinch-hitter Jang Doo-sung, an opponent’s error, and Na’s game-winning hit.

But there was a final twist in store. In the top of the ninth inning, closer Kim Won-joong came on. He had failed to close out the last five games in a row and had a nightmare of four blown saves.

Today was no different. He struck out the first batter, Kim Joo-won, but gave up back-to-back singles to Park Min-woo and Seo Ho-chul. Davidson hit a high four-seamer.

Kwon Hee-dong followed with a hard hit down the third base line. Lotte Choi Hang made a super jumping catch. Choi’s glove made a picture-perfect catch on a fly ball with a slight turn.

The last batter, Kim Hui-jip, hit a slow grounder to the shortstop. It would have been a tough hit to handle with the bases loaded, but with only one out, the game was over. Kim was thrown out at second base. It was the end of the game and the end of Kim Won-joong’s nightmare.

Kim’s first words after the game were embarrassing: “I can’t play baseball these days, so I do interviews even if it’s like today.” After 39 days of hard saves, TV interviews, and interviews with fans in the stands, he met with reporters on the field.

“I didn’t do well today, but if I can get over this, I’m sure I’ll have good energy again. I pitched one pitch at a time with the thought that I’d throw the ball 메이저사이트 and bat and see who would win, you or me. I think I won because of that.”

Despite his smiling face, it’s Kim himself who’s suffering the most. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard,” he says, “but I tried not to get too emotional, because if I’m in a save situation again, I’ll pitch. Every time I go out, I try to throw harder, and if I know (why) I’m not doing well, there’s no such thing as a slump,” he said, sighing slightly.

“When I’m doing well, there’s a reason, but when I’m not doing well, there’s nothing I can do about it. That’s how I prepared for each game, as relaxed as possible. Even in the final inning, I kept it as simple as possible and trusted my catcher,” he added.

Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung expressed his unwavering trust in Kim Won-joong, saying, “Our closer is still Kim Won-joong.” Kim Won-joong replied, “I don’t take it for granted. I’m so grateful. I need to show more on the mound. I prepared harder.”

Choi Hang-hang had struck out the day before. “At first, I thought it was a foul ball, but (Choi) definitely has good energy. I knew he would catch it,” Kim laughed.

“I’ve been slumping, so I think it’s just a matter of going up. I’m not the first one to fall. It’s never been easy for me, but maybe there was a little bit of complacency in the back of my mind. I will prepare more thoroughly for every match. I will be more confident and throw my balls with more confidence.”

After a series of poor outings, some fans in the stands bemoaned the fact that Kim Won-joong was on the mound. However, most of the fans cheered when Kim Won-joong’s entrance song came on.

“I thought the fans might be harder than the players, but their passionate support gave me the strength to take the mound again today. I’m grateful for the cheers, whether I’m doing well or not.”