I can't believe Lotte had such a shortstop…The goods came in, the master admits, "A young player should have that kind of taste."

I can't believe Lotte had such a shortstop…The goods came in, the master admits, "A young player should have that kind of taste."

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"Don't think about avoiding it and get hit."

Lee Ho-joon (21), a second-year infielder of the Lotte Giants in professional baseball, received such an order from hitting coach Lee Sung-gon before taking the batter's box in the fourth inning against Daejeon Hanwha on the 2nd. It was customized advice for Hanwha left-hander Cho Dong-wook, who also throws his body well against left-handed batters, and Lee Ho-joon was also close to the batter's box.

He entered the batter's box with one to four pitches in a row, but was hit by a fastball of 141 kilometers per hour for the fourth time. When hit by the ball that flew towards his right shoulder, Lee looked at the Lotte dugout on the third base, clapping his hands and pumped his fist into the batter's box. He thus forgot about the pain of throwing balls and gave them energy.
After the game, Lee Ho-joon said, "Coach Lee Sung-gon told me not to avoid it when I came to my body before I entered the batter's box. When I heard that and went in, I was proud to be right, and it was good to be able to contribute to the team."

The next day, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said of Lee Ho-joon, "The youngest's gesture can make the bench feel better. Young players should have that kind of taste. You should play baseball like a young player."

Lotte's starting shortstop Park Seung-wook, who started the opening game, went down to the second division in four games amid sluggish offense and defense. Young infielders were given the opportunity afterwards. Following Jeon Min-jae and Han Tae-yang, Lee Ho-joon also received the opportunity to start the game. Kim Tae-hyung had been a promising player since last year, but he started as the starting shortstop for three consecutive games starting with the match against KT in Sajik on April 30 and the match against Hanwha in Daejeon on April 2 to 3.

He had no hit in three times at bat in the game against the KT Wiz, but pushed Moon Dong-ju's fastball to hit an RBI triple in the second inning against the Hanwha Eagles on Sunday, reporting his first hit and RBI of the season at the same time. Lee Ho-joon, who had multiple hits in the ninth inning with a double and a triple in the game on Sunday.

He hit a fastball in the fifth inning against Cody Ponce, a starting pitcher of the Hanwha Eagles who showed strong pitching, and a double beyond the right field to pave the way for the first run in the seventh inning. He also hit Han Seung-hyuk's first fastball in the ninth inning to blast a triple to the right-handed monster wall, and when Information-geun hit a grounder to the shortstop, he dug home to score a 4-2 run. Final score of the game on the day. 메이저사이트

Lee Ho-joon showed his presence with batting and running base by decorating three of his four hits with long balls (two triples and one double) this season, but manager Kim Tae-hyung recognizes his defense the most. "You don't have to expect too much about offense, and it's okay if you just keep your defense steady. You're good at defense at shortstop. You're good at defense, so you can use it as a starter," Kim said.

He recorded his first error of the season in the fourth inning against Hanwha on the 3rd, when he missed Kim Tae-yeon's high left-hander, but his ball handling ability and accuracy and intensity of his throw are also stable under a soft footwork.

Lee Ho-joon, a former Daegu Sangwon man and right-handed infielder who used shortstop Kim Sang-soo (KT) as a role model during the Samsung Dynasty, was nominated by Lotte as the 23rd overall in the third round last year, recognizing his talent for his small physique of 172 centimeters and 72 kilograms. In the second half of the year, he came to the first team and scored two hits and three RBIs in six at-bats in 12 games, which caught the eye of "master" Kim, and participated in the first team spring camp this year.

He started the season in the second division because he did not make the opening entry, but the opportunity to start came faster than expected. Coincidentally, after Lee Ho-joon took over as the starting shortstop, Lotte rebounded with three consecutive wins. "I think I have more advantages in defense than in hitting," Lee Ho-joon said. "My goal is to gain experience by steadily receiving opportunities and making no mistakes in defense as I do now."