Lotte is known as a team that typically rides the momentum. When the mood was high, they would go on an unstoppable sprint. On the other hand, when the mood cools down, the team tends to plummet uncontrollably. This is the same story that has been repeated over the past decade, even with different managers and different players.
The words “8chiol” and “momentum” are used to describe the team’s character and identity. The phrase “8chiol,” which means to rebound in August, has been repeated for four years, from 2020 to this year, and has come to represent Lotte’s determination to rebound in the second half of the season.
In fact, Lotte has a pretty good August record from 2020 to this year, with 44 wins, 34 losses, 3 draws, and a .564 winning percentage. However, the team had already lost a lot of games before August and had fallen out of favor with the top teams, and even if they made up for it in August, they showed a lackluster performance in September that negated their August rebound. The ‘8th Chiol’ was, to put it bluntly, a ‘flash in the pan’.
This year, the atmosphere was so great at the beginning of the season that they were ranked first. Not just in April, but until May, they formed a three-way tie with LG SSG. Lotte’s momentum was so strong that the word ‘momentum’ can be used to describe it. The word “momentum” was used as a buzzword, and the club even marketed itself as “momentum day.” Lotte’s momentum was so great that it shook the league. However, the momentum hasn’t kept the team from falling apart.
Lotte was a mixed bag last week. Perhaps it was the week that defined Lotte as a team. The midweek sweep of the three-game series against SSG Landers was their third consecutive winning series. It showed that the ‘8th Chieftain’ was gaining momentum. However, the three-game series against the current last-place Kiwoom was a deceptive sweep. All three games had the worst possible endings, as they came from behind to lose.
The words “eight chiols” and “momentum” paradoxically describe how incomplete and inconsistent Lotte is as a team. If they had a stable power source, they would have been able to stay firmly in the center and not be swayed by the churning waves, but Lotte does not have such a stable power source.
In a three-game series against the SSG last midweek, the Lotte bats exploded for 32 runs, batting 3-for-9 with four doubles, three home runs, and a 1.092 OPS. They were also 4-for-1 with runners in scoring position (23-for-56). On the mound, he posted a 3.33 ERA. Park Se-woong, Aaron Wilkerson, and reliever Shim Jae-min were all solid on the mound. Pil Seung-jo completed the sweep with a three-hit shutout.
On the other hand, Lotte’s bats went cold in the three-game series against Kiwoom over the weekend. They batted just 2-for-4 with two home runs and a .629 OPS. Not to mention, they were nowhere to be found in the scoring column. They went 1-for-3 with six RBIs, unable to carry over the momentum from the midweek three-game series. Worse, four of his errors came in clutch situations and led to unearned runs. Ironically, four of those errors were committed by Park Seung-wook, who is currently one of Lotte’s most contributing players.
It’s time to realize that “8th inning” and “momentum” are just words to describe an incomplete team. Right now, the outfield is littered with injuries, including Ahn Chi-hong Goodrum, and the pitching staff is fatigued. This is what you get when you try to squeeze something out of something that isn’t perfect. It’s more about the inside than the outside. The team is currently in seventh place with 50 wins and 54 losses. Can Lotte take a cold hard look at their situation and build a solid team to make the mid-table race competitive again?메이저놀이터
Lotte will face LG in Jamsil this week and return to Sajik on the weekend for a three-game series against KT. They face the top two teams. Regardless of the momentum, Lotte needs to show that they deserve to be in the top five.
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