“I thought it was just a comment (laughs).”

In the Lotte Giants, the type of shaking the opponent with quick feet was rare. Except for Jeon Joon-ho running base and outfield coach and Na Gyeong-min, second-team running base and outfield coach, there are few people who come to mind. This is because there was a strong tendency to gather the explosive power of other lines rather than to carefully extract one point.

That is why the appearance of Hwang Seong-bin (26) last year has a greater meaning. He made infield hits even on bats that were slower than others and did not stretch well, and annoyed opponents by running one more base on single hits. Director Larry Sutton evaluated, “Hwang Seong-bin is a type that Lotte did not have.”

A year after that, Hwang Seong-bin became someone’s idol, and a high school player who liked him became a Lotte player.

●“I also looked for videos on YouTube”

Seongbin Hwang made his first team debut on May 5 last year against Suwon KT Wiz. Three days later he stepped on the ground for the first time at Sajik Stadium. The saying “I may start in Sangdong (second team), but I will go to resignation during the season” came true. On May 14, against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon, he started for the first time since his debut and recorded 2 hits in 4 at-bats with a bunt hit. On the 10th day of his debut, when he said, “I am nervous, I will come back after praying” before the game, the Lotte batting line was also energized. Since then, he has never been excluded from the first-team roster.

At the time, Incheon High infielder Bae In-hyeok (19) was deeply impressed. He wore a Lotte uniform in the 11th round and 103rd overall in the 2023 rookie draft last year. It is a type that stirs the opponent’s camp with quick feet. Bae In-hyuk said, “I also remember the exact time.” Power sprint was cool. Even if he hits a fly ball, he has two bases, and even a ground ball has an unconditional chance of going to first base. He became a Lotte player, so I don’t pick him as a role model because his playing style is similar. In the game against the NC Dinos (Changwon, June 4), which was decisive for him, he also remembers the triple hit.” 슬롯사이트

●“I have juniors who look after me… ”

As soon as I joined in 2020, I enlisted, so this year is actually my second year as a first-team player. Still, it’s nice to have a junior who sees herself as a role model. Seongbin Hwang said, “I thought he was just saying that he picked me as a role model (laughs). However, I wanted to take care of it because he came to me first and asked me about this and that. I thought I should inform you more carefully and with more sincerity.” Bae In-hyuk said, “At first, he said, ‘Am I really a role model?’ When I said, ‘I played baseball while watching my seniors,’ he gave me a glove and a bat. After that, I said hello to the new year,” he laughed.

They are a great motivator for each other. Hwang Seong-bin said, “I have juniors who look after me, so I can never be lazy. I have to work harder,” he said. “Even if I went to a few matches last year, I don’t think ‘that seat is my seat’. It’s a competition. I have to do better than others, and I have to show in spring camp that I am a more useful player than others. Commitment is no different. I want to show you this year too. However, since I have experience last year, I think I will be able to relax in my mind,” she said with strength.