[News Figures] Larry Sutton Effect? 'Attack on Titan' Lotte's 9 Consecutive Wins

Major League, Minor League, and KBO Experienced
'Busan Galmaegi' Lotte's Winning Streak: How Far Will It Continue?

The Lotte Giants have extended their winning streak to 9 games for the first time in about 15 years by defeating the KIA Tigers. As Lotte continues its unstoppable rise, attention is turning to manager Larry Sutton. The question is how a foreign manager can produce such results.

On the 2nd, Lotte won 7-4 against KIA at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field. They have won 9 consecutive games since the match against the KIA Tigers at Sajik on the 20th of last month. This is the first time in about 14 years and 9 months since they had an 11-game winning streak from the Hanwha game at Sajik on July 27, 2008, to the LG Twins game at Sajik on September 2. At that time, they had an 8-game winning streak until the Samsung Lions game at Sajik on August 30, and then won 3 more games consecutively.

Born in 1970 and 53 years old this year, manager Larry Sutton debuted in Major League Baseball in 1997 with the Kansas City Royals and played as a big leaguer until 2004, passing through Kansas City, St. Louis, Minnesota, Oakland, and Miami. Afterwards, from 2005 to 2007, he played in the KBO League with the Hyundai Unicorns and KIA Tigers. Notably, in his first year in the KBO in 2005, he recorded 35 home runs and won the home run title, making a strong impression. He later served as a hitting coordinator in the minor leagues under the Pittsburgh Pirates in the United States.

Larry Sutton Lotte Manager

He formed a connection with Lotte in 2019 when he took on the role of second-team manager. After managing the second team, Sutton was appointed as Lotte's 20th manager in May 2021, becoming the second foreign manager in the club's history following former manager Jerry Royster.

At that time, Lotte stated that they valued Sutton’s diverse experience, not only in Major League Baseball and the minor leagues but also in Korea, and that having coached big league players on the field for more than five years recently would greatly help in unlocking the potential of the players and building a system.

This season, manager Sutton expressed his determination to wash away the stigma of being a "Bomde." "Bomde" is a term mocking teams that perform well in the early regular season but plummet relentlessly when summer heat begins. In an interview with the press before the first game of the three-game series against KIA at Gwangju KIA Champions Field on the 2nd, Sutton said, "I think this time it can be different. The players have the mentality to overcome strong pressure," emphasizing, "It is important to show consistent performance and go through the season without injured players. Even if minor injuries occur, we must be able to overcome them."