Jin Hae-soo (38) is now a member of the Lotte Giants.
He joined KIA in the seventh round of the 2005 rookie draft after graduating from Bukyeonggo, and has since played for SK (now SSG) and LG, compiling a career record of 23-30-2, 2 saves, 152 holds, and a 4.96 ERA in 788 games. He is ranked 5th all-time in games played and 2nd all-time in saves, 3rd all-time in holds, and 1st all-time in holds.
But when LG won the championship last year, breaking a 29-year drought, she wasn’t there. Since 2015, Jin has played in 536 games for LG, compiling a 19-15 record, 120 holds, two saves, and a 4.18 ERA. In 2017, she won the hold title with 24 holds.
Last year, however, Jin was virtually ignored by the first team. With the growth of younger pitchers, Jinhae-su’s position naturally diminished, and she disappeared from the first team after her last appearance on June 7 last year. Last year, 바카라사이트 Jinhae-soo posted a 3.68 ERA in 19 games with two holds. And by staying in the second team, she had to watch her former team win the championship.
Reflecting on LG’s winning moment,
Jin said, “I congratulate my team for winning the championship, but personally, it was a disappointing time. I always laughed, enjoyed, and mourned with my teammates, but at the moment of the championship, I was the only one missing,” he said, explaining his complicated feelings.
Then, Jin Hae-soo was traded. On November 27 last year, she was traded to Lotte. Lotte gave LG a fifth-round pick in the 2025 rookie draft to acquire Jin Hae-soo.
After 20 years as a professional, he came full circle and returned to his hometown team. “It’s a new feeling to wear a new uniform. I feel like I’m playing for a new team, and I feel good and excited. I love the uniforms,” he laughed.
LG CEO Cha Myung-seok also expressed his disappointment at the parting of ways with Jin Hae-soo. “I called him and he said, ‘I can’t say goodbye. He said, ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t help you so much,’ and every time he said that, I said, ‘It’s because I couldn’t do it. He really tried to help me a lot, and he really cared about me, and he told me, ‘You need to study more, and you need to prepare for your second life,'” Cha said.
Cha also supported the future of his fellow baseball player. Jin Hae-soo said, “He told me that he also contacted coach Kim Tae-hyung. He told me to keep doing what I was doing and that it would be a good situation,” he said.
In fact, at a young age, he was ignored by the first team and finished the season in the second team.
“It’s not that I didn’t get a chance last year. I got my chance, but I didn’t capitalize on it. I was pushed aside by younger players. It’s right to say that I didn’t do well and that I’m to blame,” said Jin Hae-soo, who also explained, “I think my body is better than before, and I’m in good shape.”
Despite thinking about her future, Jin Hae-soo didn’t let go of the ball. He was confident that he would get another chance. “There was a secondary draft, so I thought I could unconditionally change teams. I didn’t think I had to quit,” he said firmly, adding, “My time and records in the second team remain. I wasn’t sick, so throwing in the second team was important to me. I didn’t want to be judged as no longer valuable because I’m old,” he said, adding, “I thought I could still be competitive, and I thought I could compete and win.” Indeed, Jinhae-soo didn’t miss a beat in the second team until September. In 27 games, he went 1-0 with a 1.61 ERA and five saves.
He went undrafted in the second round, but was later acquired in a trade.
“I’m more motivated to bounce back this year than I am to return to my hometown team,” he said, “I want to show that I can do it again. Last year, I went down to the second team, and it was a matter of stepping up or stagnating. I practiced and prepared a lot, but it didn’t work out. I was going back and forth, but in the end, I focused on what I was good at and tried again, and I finished the season in the second team. With this direction, I thought I could do well anywhere next year,” he emphasized.
“Even when I was in another team, I would check the results of Lotte games,” he laughed. Therefore, “I was grateful that my hometown team called me up, and it was even better.”
“I think it’s an environment where I can finish in a good way at the end of my baseball career,” he continued, “It’s my hometown and my family is in Busan. I have a strong feeling that I will do my best to finish my baseball career. This is my last chance to show my family how I play baseball.”
Kim Tae-hyung had a relationship with Jin Hae-soo when he was a coach at SK Battery.
Hitting coach Kim Joo-chan was at KIA, battery coach Kim Sang-ho was at SK, and defense coach Kim Min-ho was at LG. Catcher Yoo Kang-nam, pitcher Shin Jeong-rak, and Im Joon-seop, who was released from SK to wear a Lotte uniform, also played for LG and KIA, respectively. “Kang was close to me when I was in LG, and we still work out together. 바카라사이트 Jun-seob was also with me at KIA,” he said, adding, “I worked out with the coaches more than the players. I think I’ll be comfortable with the coaches,” he laughed.
Last year, LG ended a 29-year hiatus, and Lotte is now looking to move up. Jin Hae-soo, who has always been interested in Lotte, said, “Last year, Lotte did well in the beginning and didn’t fall off at the end. It was a disappointing season last year, and I think we need to have a stable depth that allows us to perform consistently. You can’t be good all year long, but when you try to reduce the gap between good and bad, you get better and those teams do well,” he said, adding, “I’m sure the whole team feels the same way. This year, I think I need to prepare well and dedicate myself so that I can finish at the top in a stable way.”