One by one, SSG Landers players are expressing their apologies to their fans.
Infielder Choi Ju-hwan wrote on his social media account on the 27th, “I was so grateful for this year,” and added, “I prepared hard this season, but it was a year where I personally lacked a lot of things and regrets. I’m sorry I couldn’t meet your expectations.”
Choi batted .310 with 20 home runs, 63 RBIs and a .432 on-base percentage in 134 regular-season games this year. While his batting average fell short of expectations, it was his second 20-homer season after hitting 26 in 2018.
He worked out consistently during the offseason last winter and had already lost 10 pounds by the time he started the first camp in Florida in February, so he was ready for this season. He prepared for the season without any major injuries, but neither the team nor himself were satisfied with the results.
Choi Joo-hwan said, “Next year, I will come back with more preparation so that I can fly higher than this year. Thank you to the fans for their support. We will come back with a better shape.”
Left-hander Oh Won-seok, who accumulated the most wins in the regular season after making his professional debut this year, also criticized himself. “I struggled all season,” he wrote on the 28th, “It was a year of reflection, realizing that I still lacked a lot, but I was grateful for the support.”
Oh went 8-10 with a 5.23 ERA in 28 regular-season games this year. This is the most wins for Oh, who went 7-6 in 2021, his second year as a professional, and 6-8 last year when the team won the team title.
He has also shown signs of improvement, pitching in regulation innings for the second straight year. He was one of the mainstays of the team’s third-place regular season finish. After the semi-playoff series, he said, “It ended without any regrets. Next year, I’m going to do more victory interviews than I did this year.”
Han Yoo-seom, whose second-half explosion helped Mercury to a third-place finish in the regular season, also looked back with regret. “It’s the saddest day of the year,” he wrote, “and I cautiously think, ‘If only I could have contributed to the team sooner. I hope I can smile from a higher place in 2024,” he wrote.
Han had a tough first half of the season. He batted 1 for 18 in April, 2 for 1 in May, and 1 for 3 in June. He had to go to the second team. July wasn’t much better, with a 1-for-5 record in eight games. He finished the first half of the year with a 1-for-8 record.
The second half of the year was a complete turnaround. In the month of August, he batted 2 for 8 and 6 for 8. His batting average for the season moved into the high teens. In September, he showed off his hot bat by going 4-for-3 for the month. In October, he continued his good hitting pace with a 4-for-1 record in 12 games. He finished the regular season with a batting average of 2.7F3L. It’s not an exaggeration to say that his performance helped SSG hold on to third place in the regular season late in the season.
In the semi-finals, Han continued his strong play with a 3-for-8, 5 RBI performance, including two home runs in three games, but the team didn’t make it to the playoffs. 토토사이트