April wasn’t a flash. The ‘DTD’ theory that the team to go down doesn’t seem to fit Lotte this year. Lotte, which is continuing its momentum in May, recaptured the top spot in 13 days. The momentum does not break.
On the 16th against Hanwha in Daejeon, thanks to Noh Jin-hyuk’s two-run home run in the 10th overtime, Lotte won 3-1 and reached 20 wins (11 losses) in the season with the recent 3 wins in a row. SSG, who was in first place, lost the match against Changwon NC that day, and the rankings of the two teams changed.
SSG, which is recording 23 wins, 13 losses and 1 draw, is 0.5 games ahead of the ride, but Lotte reversed the odds. The winning rate of Lotte (.645), which played six games less due to the cancellation of rain, outperforms SSG (.639). Lotte regained its sole No. 1 position after 13 days since the last 3 days.
Lotte caused a sensation by rising to the top spot with 14 wins and 8 losses in the first month of April. After 11 years, he took first place alone and turned the league upside down, but even at this time, most of the eyes were dubious. Last year, Lotte had a good start with 2nd place in April (14 wins, 9 losses, 1 draw), but suddenly fell to 10th place (9 wins, 17 losses) in May, and finished in 8th place in the final rankings, ending with a hillbilly marathon.
But this year is different. Even in May, they finished 2nd in the league with 6 wins and 3 losses, and are not pushed out of the lead. Although he was behind in terms of riding, he was ahead in terms of win rate and stood tall in the top spot in mid-May. Excluding 2020, when the opening was delayed by a month due to Corona, it is the first time in 11 years since July 7, 2012 (39 wins, 30 losses, 3 draws) that Lotte has been in first place since May 16.
It is unlikely that it will end with just a temporary gust of wind. In the early part of last year, pitcher Charlie Barnes and hitter Han Dong-hee played MVP-level performances in pitching, and the reliance was high on specific players. The mound does not collapse easily in a crisis due to the knife-like pitcher replacement, and although the batting line has the fewest home runs (14) in the league, it shows decisiveness in the game.
Lotte’s momentum in May is largely due to the performance of shortstop Noh Jin-hyuk, who has been reborn as an FA model student. Noh Jin-hyeok, who showed off his clutch ability with a two-run home run in the 10th inning against Hanwha on the 16th after hitting a double in the 10th inning overtime against Doosan Sajik on the 12th, batted 33% in 8 games in May (9 hits in 27 at-bats) and 1 home run. He has a 3-RBI OPS of .956.
He said, “There is no secret to making the clutch strong. He has a strong desire to bet on the team when he has a chance, so good results come out.” He was originally strong in May, but he is confident in that part.” 카지노사이트
He then said of the team as a whole, “There is a feeling that unity is good when we are in scoring position even though the batting average is low when we look at it as a whole.” Until the 16th, Lotte ranked 4th in team batting average (.260), but their batting average in scoring position was 2nd (.307), and their concentration was high on chances.
Furthermore, Noh Jin-hyeok said, “Foreign pitchers are also throwing well in May. That part is the biggest,” he said, seeing the revival of foreign pitchers Dan Strayley and Barnes as a key point. Strayley (2 losses in April ERA 5.82 → 1 win 1 loss ERA 1.46 in May) and Barnes (1 win 1 loss ERA 7.58 in April → ERA 0.66 ERA 0.66) has wings on