“If the players did well, this would not have happened…”
Lotte captain An Chi-hong (33) expressed regret at the resignation of former Lotte coach Larry Sutton (53). He also pledged that he would do his best in the remaining games after recovering the team atmosphere under the acting manager Lee Jong-woon (57).
Ahn Chi-hong met with reporters immediately after the decision to cancel the Lotte-Hanwha match at Daejeon Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park on the 30th and conveyed his feelings about the resignation of Sutton and his determination for the rest of the season.
On the 28th, Lotte announced the voluntary resignation of former manager Sutton and appointed head coach Lee Jong-woon as acting manager. Former coach Sutton missed the SSG game due to dizziness on the 27th and expressed his intention to resign after the game.
Ahn Chi-hong, who is in charge of the team’s captain, had time to say goodbye to former manager Sutton.
“I came to work early and was able to meet coach Sutton for a while. If I had done better, this wouldn’t have happened, but I’m sorry.”메이저놀이터
The command tower left, but the season continues. Although Lotte is now mired in seven consecutive losses, it is not yet at the stage of giving up. The gap with 5th place KIA is 5 games. Will Lotte be able to cause a great reversal?
An Chi-hong said, “As captain, there was a bad situation, but we are professional players, there are still games left, and there are opportunities, so we will do our best until the end.” If the atmosphere rises, I think the direction of the team’s games and results will change.”
Acting coach Lee Jong-woon called Ahn Chi-hong separately and left a request saying, “All team members must overcome. Even the senior players said, “Let’s just think about winning. We still have a chance, so let’s do our best. Let’s show our juniors that they can follow.”
Lotte was the main character of the storm until early June. However, since then, Lotte has fallen into a deep slump and is still unable to get out of it.
Ahn Chi-hong said, “When you go through a season, you will win and lose in a row. Players showed a lot of inactive movements as the pressure on the results arose. “I think there were good results because we faced each other in April and May without fear of the outcome. You may think it’s too late now, but even now you can overcome that fear and the remaining I want to play the season,” he said.
Acting head coach Lee Jong-woon pointed out senior players such as Ahn Chi-hong, Jeon Jun-woo, and Jung-hoon as key players for the rest of the season. Fortunately, An Chi-hong did not show a good sense of hitting with a batting average of .255 with 1 home run and 7 RBIs in July, but in August alone, he showed a recovery in hitting with a batting average of .371, 3 home runs and 12 RBIs.
He has already managed to rebound on his own. “Before, I didn’t catch the feeling of hitting well and hit withered. So I thought about not missing a miss while swinging confidently without thinking about the result. I mean. Like Ahn Chi-hong, if Lotte players rebound one by one, their power could gather and cause a great reversal.
An Chi-hong is already playing his fourth season at Lotte. An Chi-hong, who left 8 homers, 54 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 124 games in 2020, his first season with Lotte, batting average .286, on-base percentage .351, slugging percentage .413, batting average .306, on-base percentage .379, slugging percentage .458 and 10 in 119 games in 2021 He recorded 82 homers, 82 RBIs and 3 steals, and last year also showed a steady hitting feeling, marking a batting average of .284, on-base percentage of .354, and slugging percentage of .436 with 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 7 steals in 132 games. And he has a batting average of .297, on-base percentage of .380, and slugging percentage of .398 in 101 games this year, with 6 homers, 53 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He will be eligible for free agency again after this season.
An Chi-hong said, “Of course, it’s an important season personally,” but “Because I’m the captain, I think I think more about how our team can advance well than what’s personally important. I want to,” he said, putting the team’s rebound first in mind.