30% WITH JUN JUN WOO

It was only one month ago. Lotte and LG had a one-on-one trade on Sept. 30. The deal came in exchange for Lotte's right-handed sidearm Woo Kang-hoon (22) to LG, and the team received infielder Son Ho-young (30) from LG.

Son Ho-young, a former overseas player, was notified of his release from the Chicago Cubs in 2017 and entered the domestic professional stage when he was drafted 23rd overall in the third round by LG in the 2020 KBO Rookie Draft. However, he did not receive much attention from LG as he appeared in 27 games last year, batting .205 (9 hits in 44 times at bat), one home run, six RBIs and two steals.

However, it was different for Lotte. When Son Ho-young joined the team in a trade, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "He is a speedy player. Since he has strong bat, I think he will get better if he hits little by little." However, Son began to shine gradually as he became the main player of the final hit in the match against Hanwha in Daejeon on the 2nd.

"I think (Lotte) is the last team to be traded to Lotte. Trading is a turning point in baseball's life. I feel like my second baseball career has begun," Son said, explaining that he will play with the determination to bury his bones in Lotte.

Lotte gave Son a chance to play consistently, and Son lived up to the club's belief. At one point, his batting average for this season fell to .216, but starting with his strong batting performance with three hits, one RBI and two runs from five times at bat at the match against Kiwoom in Gocheok on Friday, he began to feel a sense of hitting hard, and recently his batting average has risen to the .300 level as well as to the standardized batting average. "(Son) Ho-young has improved his batting pace compared to the first time. Seeing him follow the ball, I think he has gotten better," manager Kim Tae-hyung said in expressing satisfaction.

Son's batting average for this season is .299. He is confidently ranked 27th in the batting category. If Son, along with foreign hitters Victor Reyes (batting average of .339) and "captain" Jeon Joon-woo (batting average of .308), Lotte will be able to form a "300 trio." He is truly a treasure as he has shown strong defense by playing shortstop as well as second and third basemen. Although Lotte is still groaning at the bottom of the standings, it is looking forward to seeing Son Ho-young perform as a trade transfer player.

BY: 토토사이트