Kim Sang-soo took the mound in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and first base when his team was leading 4-3 in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League home game against the Doosan Bears at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 4th.
Lotte, which led the game by scoring four runs with a timely hit by Nico Gu-drum and Noh Jin-hyuk in the first inning, gave up one run with a mistake by Gu-drum in the fourth inning, and was chased by one point in the fifth inning with a timely hit by Kim In-tae. After Choi Joon-yong came up and blocked 1⅓3 innings well, Koo Seung-min came up in the 7th inning, but went down the mound after dealing with three batters.
Kim Sang-soo, who suddenly took the mound, threw two balls in a row against Huh Kyung-min. However, catcher Jung Bo-geun caught Cho Soo-haeng, a pinch-runner who was trying to steal second base after catching a strike with a breaking ball for the third pitch, and finished the inning with a sharp throw.
Kim Sang-soo, who also took the mound in the eighth inning, struck out Huh Kyung-min to left field and Park Gye-beom. He then induced pinch hitter Kang Seung-ho to hit a slow ground ball, but it became an infield hit as it flowed to an ambiguous course. In a situation that could have been shaken, this time, the changed catcher Yoo Kang-nam caught Kang Seung-ho’s steal attempt and ended the inning without losing a point.
Lotte struggled to win 4-3 as closer Kim Won-joong, who came after Kim Sang-soo in the top of the ninth inning, faced a crisis with runners on first and second base with no outs, but handled all subsequent batters with a hit. Lotte, which recovered from its defeat the previous day, won its second victory under acting coach Lee Jong-woon and chased sixth-ranked Doosan by 3.5 games.
Kim Sang-soo, who marks his 18th year as a professional this year, was released from SSG Landers last year. Just four years ago (2019 season), he was active in achieving 40 holds for the first time in the KBO league, but he did not get a chance as he entered his mid-30s. After that, he immediately wore the Lotte uniform. A Lotte official said, “Kim Sang-soo was virtually like a free agent (FA). “We competed with other teams for recruitment,” he said.
As expected, Kim Sang-soo is continuing his good pitching. Having pitched in 60 games this year until the 4th, he has recorded 4 wins, 1 loss, 1 save, and a 16 hold ERA of 3.11, continuing his best pitching since 2019. In the first half, he also gained strength with eight holds and a 4.25 ERA, but his appearance in the second half is simply comparable to his heyday.
Since the All-Star break, Kim Sang-soo has been outstanding in 21 games with one win, eight holds, and a 1.08 ERA. Except for two games in the second half, he continued to pitch without losing a point, and one of the games (against Kiwoom in Gocheok on August 20) was a three-run involuntary game. He is currently unbeaten in 12 consecutive games.
Kim Sang-soo becomes stronger in the presence of a runner. This season, Kim Sang-soo has a batting average of 0.263 in the absence of a runner, but it drops to 0.237 when a runner goes out. It goes up to 0.254 in the scoring range, but the OPS, which was 0.674 without runners, is lowered to 0.610. With the come-from-behind runner on base, he is recording no hits in seven at-bats. In the second half, he is showing a strong performance with a batting average of 0.211 in the scoring position.
Especially this season, you can call him a “man of full base.” Kim Sang-soo never allowed to get on base with eight bases loaded this year. He only gave up points twice, but only one sacrifice fly (against Kiwoom in Gocheok on May 28) and the infielder allowed the third base runner to home in (against SSG in Sajik on August 5). 에볼루션 바카라사이트
On top of that, in the second half of the year, he is also struggling. Kim Sang-soo recorded three consecutive games in the second half, especially from the Sajik SSG match on August 15 to the Gocheok Kiwoom match on August 18. It was a pitch that overshadowed his mid-30s.
Former head coach Larry Sutton said, “Kim Sang-soo is a great help to the team.” He said, “I often come up in crisis situations and finish the inning well,” adding, “I’m showing high-quality pitching.” The head coach continued his smiley pitch.
Lotte is in seventh place with a winning rate of 0.468 (52 wins and 59 losses) as of the 4th. The dream of autumn baseball is blurred as it is 6.5 games away from the fifth-ranked NC Dinos. On top of that, even former coach Sutton voluntarily resigned at the end of August due to health problems. It is a difficult situation, but Lotte is not letting go of its last hope as Kim Sang-soo shows his veteran side in the bullpen.