It is a waste of ability to use only for one year. Ahn Kwon-soo (30), who had to return to Japan after only playing for one season, put a dagger into his parents Doosan in his Lotte debut match.
Ahn Kwon-soo started as a center fielder in the opening game against Doosan in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 1st, and played 6 at-bats, 2 hits, 3 RBIs, 1 walk and 1 point. Although the team suffered a game-off loss after a close match in the 11th inning, Ahn Kwon-soo solidified his leadoff position with one game. 토토사이트
Ahn Kwon-soo, who learned the atmosphere of the opening game with a strikeout in the first inning and a foul fly to the left fielder in the second inning, scored a timely hit with one out and two RBIs in the fourth inning, behind 1-3. In 1B-1S, Doosan starter Raul Alcantara’s third pitch, 152km fastball, was sent to the left fielder.
Ahn Kwon-soo’s true value was revealed again in the last regular inning. In the 9th inning, behind 8-9, Doosan finisher Hong Kun-hee’s first fastball with a chance on third base, leading to a tie with 1 RBI. It was the moment that signaled an overtime game, not the end of the game. Afterwards, Ahn Kwon-soo picked out a walk at the end of the 7th pitch after one out in the 11th inning, and even scored when Jack Rex’s 1st RBI hit at the right time.
Ahn Kwon-soo is a third-generation Korean-Japanese baseball player. After graduating from Waseda University in Japan, he played baseball in the Japanese independent league and business league, and auditioned for the 2020 KBO draft tryout held in August 2019 to achieve his dream of becoming a professional in the country of his grandfather. And he was nominated by Doosan with the 99th overall pick in the 10th round of the rookie draft.
Ahn Kwon-soo, who was a replacement resource for two years after joining Doosan, finally reached his potential with a batting average of .297 and 20 RBIs in 76 games last year, his third year with Doosan. With his unique baserunning sense and bad-tempered spirit, he once pushed out Su-bin Jung and In-tae Kim and became the leadoff and starting shortstop for the Bears.
Nevertheless, Doosan suddenly excluded Ahn Kwon-soo from the list of reserved players in December of last year. The biggest problem is military service. According to the Military Service Act for Koreans in Japan, Ahn Kwon-soo can play in the KBO League up to this year. If he extends his active duty thereafter, he must enlist in the military. In response, Doosan had a direct meeting with the player and agreed to exclude the reserved player. Looking ahead to the future rather than the present, we decided to break up despite regret.
There was a club that reached out to such Ahn Kwon-soo, and it was Lotte. I made the decision to recruit Ahn Kwon-soo to reinforce the outfield and table setter, even if it means spending only one year. Ahn Kwon-soo swung a batting average of 57.1 li and 6 RBIs in 12 exhibition games after going through the spring camp, and continued to rise in the opening game.
The command tower’s trust in Ahn Kwon-soo is deep. Lotte coach Larry Sutton said, “Ahn Kwon-soo showed a good performance throughout the camp. His approach at the plate is quite good, and he has good contact ability. He is a player who can do well on base,” he said. “I didn’t use Ahn Kwon-soo as No. Even if he met with another team, Ahn Kwon-soo would have been the number one hitter,” he emphasized.