Kim Won-joong, who returned to Korea on Thursday after finishing his spring camp, was full of confidence with his satisfactory performance. "Sung Jong was hurt unfortunately, but the other players came back with good physical shape without any major injuries. Overall, I am satisfied because I finished my camp well."
Having failed to win the title since 1992, Lotte's foremost goal for this season is to advance to the postseason. Lotte has never played in the fall baseball since its semi-playoff in 2017 when it ranked third in the regular season. 토토사이트
Last year, the team had the "Top De (leading Lotte)" sensation by competing for the lead until early June, but the team went downhill and ended the season ranking 7th (68 wins and 76 losses). The team was seven games behind the Doosan Bears, who came in fifth and the Maginot Line to advance to the postseason.
Kim Won-joong said, "It is my dream every year to be on the mound as the last pitcher in the last game of the season of professional baseball," adding, "If we work together one by one to achieve that goal, that day will come this year or next year, not too long in the future."
Kim Won-joong has only one postseason experience as a member of the Korean pro baseball league since 2015. He only played in two games as an intermediate pitcher in the semi-playoff in 2017, and never played as a closing pitcher in the fall baseball league. Kim has established himself as the closing pitcher of the giant league since 2020.
Although he has had a hard time, Kim Won-joong said he has a good feeling as much as this season. He stressed, "I don't think our team is weak by any means. Talented players are evenly distributed everywhere. I haven't had time and luck, but I think Lotte is a team that can aim for the top spot."
Kim Won-joong, who served as the pitching assistant, also saw his team change during the camp. "In this spring camp, my juniors set a goal consciousness and trained really hard. All of them did well without exception. You can look forward to it," he said.
The biggest change for Lotte this season is its coach. After the end of the last season, Lotte appointed Kim Tae-hyung, the "winning coach" who won the Korean Series three times and the runner-up four times at Doosan from 2015 to 2022.
"The coach created an atmosphere for players to be smart," Kim Won-joong said. "The coach may look scary, but he is a cool-headed person who manages the game. That's cool," he expressed his expectation for the new coach.
Lotte failed to produce a "save king" after Son Seung-rak in 2017. Kim Won-joong also recorded 35 saves in 2021 and 30 saves in 2023, but he was lagging behind rival players to rank second and tie for third, respectively.
This season's KBO League Save King competition has many variables, including Ko Woo-suk (San Diego Padres) entering the Major League, Jo Sang-woo (Kium Heroes) returning, and Kim Jae-yoon (Samsung Lions).
"My goal is to win first place in everything. However, I can't win a personal title just because I want to. It is also more important to stay healthy for a season and prepare well so that the team can play whenever necessary, rather than being conscious of this," Kim said. "I will prepare steadily day by day and focus only on the games in front of me."