Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyoung lamented the hitters' lack of sacrifice.
Lotte will face the LG Twins at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium on the 27th. The rain that began the night before stopped after 2 p.m. that day. The game is expected to start normally.
Manager Kim Tae-hyoung, speaking to reporters before the game, mentioned the one-hit shutout loss to Samsung pitcher Yang Chang-seop on the 24th and criticized the hitters' lack of sacrifice.
Yang Chang-seop, who joined Samsung as the second pick in the first round of the 2018 draft, recorded his first career complete-game win. Manager Kim Tae-hyoung said, "From what I saw, he set counts well with his offspeed pitches. But the hitters didn't swing at the pitches that set the count.
When Yang Chang-seop passes the middle innings, about 90 percent of the first or second pitches are offspeed pitches to set the count, and someone has to zero in on that and hit it, but even if the hitting coach tells them, the players lack a spirit of sacrifice. They should at least try to target the offspeed pitch and hit it even if it costs them their at-bat; instead, they just think a fastball will come to them. That is very important, really important for the team," he said.
The manager also said with regret, "I've been saying that a lot for a long time. The veterans should make sacrifices. 'Let's try to aim for the offspeed pitch and hit it'—they should lead by example first."
The manager said the timing of second-year prospect Kim Dong-hyeon, who has recently been given playing opportunities, is okay. On the 23rd against Samsung, Kim Dong-hyeon hit two doubles and drove in two runs. He was 0-for-3 in each of the next two games. On the 26th against LG, facing Tolhurst, he was retired on a first-base foul pop, a fly to left field and a strikeout.
Asked about Kim Dong-hyeon's ability to handle offspeed pitches, the manager said, "That's why I deliberately started Kim Dong-hyeon yesterday and today. The pitches were a bit easier then. Try hitting the foreign pitchers' pitches (from yesterday and today). But his timing isn't that bad. Even when he swings and misses, it's a miss on time. Previously, he would already have turned before the pitch even came. We have to give him at least five games to see how he does," he said.
He added, "His timing is fine. Rather than being weak against offspeed pitches, a slightly veteran pitcher or battery will throw and, watching Dong-hyeon set his stance, know where he's weak."
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