“There are a lot of close players. There is no problem adapting at all.”
‘Switch Giant’ Kuk Hae-seong (34) starts anew with the Lotte Giants.
On the 22nd, Lotte announced that it had recruited Kook Hae-seong, who became a free agent. He emphasized “strengthening outfield depth and utilizing pinch hitters as a switch hitter who can create long hits.”
Lotte has already had fun by recruiting a number of veterans such as Ahn Kwon-soo, Kim Sang-soo, Shin Jeong-rak, and Yoon Myeong-jun. The season, which began with enthusiasm by recruiting three free agents, including Yoo Gang-nam, Noh Jin-hyuk, and Han Hyun-hee, put more weight on the step toward ‘Win Now’.
Regarding the process of joining Lotte, Kook Hae-seong said, “There is no such thing as a process. During the week, it was discussed with the feeling of ‘let’s see the condition of the body’, and on the 20th, after training together at the resignation, the contract was signed.” Since you know, it seems that you checked according to your physical condition and movements.”
Kook Hae-seong also failed to sign with Doosan, his original team, after the futures FA transfer failed in 2021. Since then, he has been playing baseball for Seongnam Magpies, an independent league led by coach Shin Gyeong-sik. He explained, “Today, I came home to greet the club members and pack my luggage. I will join tomorrow.” He emphasized, “He is in 100% physical condition because he has consistently played real matches. There is no sore spot.”
I have no worries about adapting to Lotte. First of all, I am close with Ahn Kwon-soo, Yoon Myung-jun, and Hyun Do-hoon, who are from Doosan. The same goes for Kim Dong-han, the second-team defensive coach. Kuk Hae-seong smiled shyly, saying, “The sticky people I used to work with in the 2nd Army.”
He also became close with Yoo Kang-nam, who played under the same roof. He is also close with Noh Jin-hyeok, who has emerged as a new ‘Lotte hacker’. He welcomed the reunion with his old friend, saying, “We’ve known each other since elementary school.
Since joining Doosan Shingo in 2008, it has been 16 years since his debut. Even in his high school years, he was a promising prospect who was recognized enough to tap into the major league Chicago Cubs. He also drew attention as a promising ‘switch heater giant’.
However, while competitors of his age, such as Kim Jae-hwan and Park Gun-woo, were reborn as ‘FA conglomerates’, Kook Hae-seong’s professional life did not work out. He said, “There were many situations where I could have done better, but it’s unfortunate. I think my mentality was very weak. As failures piled up, there were parts that made myself smaller.”
I was hit by an injury that came when I was in the middle of the day. When he suffered a cruciate ligament rupture during base running in 2018, the image of him crying out, “I can run, I can do it” while being carried on a stretcher left a strong impression on the fans.
Kuk Hae-seong said,토토사이트 “I forgot the pain. I will only take the good memories with me.” His first hit in his 2015 first-team debut was a home run. In 2020, he also fired a three-run four to finish against the KT Wiz.
“It’s my last chance. I’m happy that I can come back to the professional world and start anew. I forgot everything in the past and made up my mind. I will work hard and show my sincerity to lead by example like my age. I will work hard.”