‘Lotte Man’ Kook Hae-sung scored his first hit after his transfer.
Lotte’s Kook Hae-sung came to the plate as a pinch hitter for Noh Jin-hyuk in the bottom of the seventh inning with the score 9-1 in favor of NC at Sajik Stadium in Busan on May 25.
Kook Hae-sung took advantage of the first pitch from NC’s third pitcher, Jeon Jae-min.
Kook Hae-sung drove a 147-kilometer fastball down the middle of the plate, and the ball landed in the left-center field seats. 안전놀이터
It was Kook Hae-sung’s first hit in a Lotte uniform. The Lotte fans in the first-base bleachers cheered and chanted Kook’s name after his first hit.
After Kook Hae-sung reached first base with a nice hit, it was time for Lotte’s batting ceremony.
Lotte players raise their arms and spread their fingers after a hit. It means “win, win, win” in Korean.
In the dugout, pitching coach Bae Young-soo and players Han Hyun-hee and Ji Ji-wan requested the gesture by singing the Korean national anthem.
After seeing the dugout, Kook Hae-sung raised his right hand in the air and repeatedly opened and closed it, signaling to the fans that he had become a true Lotte Man.