"Are we doing the right thing?".
On 27th at Okinawa Kin Baseball Stadium. This was just after the practice game against LG Twins. The players all lined up in front of the KIA dugout. Head coach Lee Beom-ho held an outdoor meeting for the first time. In an exceptionally strong tone, he said, "Please think personally whether what we are doing now is right. (Including starters and backup players) let's come together as one and try to become a team. When you step onto the field, please be serious and precise."
Since taking office as the head coach in February last year, Coach Lee had never gathered the players over the past two years. Usually, he would just say a few words of encouragement on the first day of camp, like "Let's do well without injuries." On this day, his facial expression was stiff, and his voice was raised. It was an order close to a reprimand. There was clearly a reason for his handsome face to be strained. The process of losing 1-3 was not smooth.
Concentration in defense dropped, and scattered plays emerged. All runs were due to errors. Even in the top of the 7th inning, leading 0-1, a bad throw by the shortstop to first base allowed the leadoff batter to reach, leading to a game-tying walk. The top of the 8th inning was even more chaotic. Hong Won-bin, who joined from the Kochi 2nd team camp and surprised everyone by throwing a 154 km/h pitch in the bullpen, stepped onto the actual mound for the first time. He allowed a hit to the first batter into left-center.
However, the center fielder allowed the batter's advance to second base with a fumbled ball. Burdened, Hong Won-bin failed to field the bunt from the next batter, allowing him to reach base. The catcher was also shaky. In a no-out situation with runners on first and third, the catcher made a ludicrous bad throw trying to prevent the base stealer, resulting in a lead change. Hong Won-bin hurriedly threw a high bounce from the next batter to home but made another bad throw. Another run was scored. His stuff was good, but he lacked experience in actual defense, and nervousness played a part.
KIA suffered a comeback loss due to four consecutive errors in the 7th and 8th innings. Of course, it was the third game of the camp, and the state of the ground was uneven and windy, among various environmental factors. Mistakes could happen after a long time without a game. Nonetheless, it was clear that concentration had dropped. The performance was disappointing for the fans who visited the baseball stadium and passionately supported the team.
Coach Lee has focused on fielding a lineup primarily of backup players in the camp games. Considering that the starters expended a lot of energy winning last year's championship, he allowed them to manage their own conditioning. This was to prevent injuries. Instead, he hoped that the backup players would take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate their competitiveness. However, when they showed disappointing concentration and performance, he raised his voice directly.
Coach Lee noted, "Most of the players participating in the practice game are backup players. When the regular season starts, they will be substituted during the game. They will also appear in crucial moments. Each time, they must play with focus and do their best without mistakes so that I can trust and use them. I called everyone together with the hope that today would be a turning point."
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