Lotte Giants right-hander Na Kyun-an saved the team from crisis once again following the opening series. The expression ‘perfect’ is not enough to show outstanding pitching and win the second season.
Na Kyun-an started in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League match against KT Wiz held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 9th and recorded 4 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts and no runs in 7 innings.
Na Gyun-an cooked KT’s other line with a combination of a fastball with a maximum velocity of 146 km and a forkball, his main weapon, that day. He shook the timing of the batters by throwing a curveball with a big drop and a cut fastball, and did not allow a single point.
Excellent crisis management skills were a bonus. At the beginning of the 3rd inning, in the 2nd, 1st and 3rd bases, Alford, a tricky hitter, was treated as a floating ball by the first baseman and passed the hurdle. In the top of the 7th inning, with 2nd out and 1st base, Park Kyung-soo hit a dizzying ball that flew near the warning track, but with the help of center fielder Kim Min-seok’s rain, he prevented the run.
Lotte batting line also responded to Na Kyun-an’s good fight. Until the 6th inning, KT was tied up with no runs due to the exclusion of the starting pitcher, but at the end of the 7th inning, he scored 3 points by destroying the KT bullpen, and gave Na Kyun-an the victory pitcher requirement.
Lotte defeated KT 5-3 and broke the chain of 3 consecutive defeats with Na Kyun-ahn’s performance. Na Kyun-an played the role of a stopper for losing streak and raised Lotte’s team atmosphere, which had subsided at the beginning of the season.
For Lotte, dropping Na Gyun-ahn as the second starter seems to be a godsend. All of the two wins in six games this season came from Na Kyun-an’s shoulder, and with a more strengthened starting rotation, it is now possible to jump into the battle for rankings in the early stages. 안전놀이터
Na Kyun-an said after the game, “It’s not that there was no pressure because the team was on a losing streak, but I tried to throw only my ball from the mound.” told
In addition, he gave credit to his teammates, saying, “I thought it was a big deal when Park Kyung-soo was at bat after two deaths in the top of the 7th inning (he was hit by a big ball), but (Kim) Min-seok caught it well, so the atmosphere was preserved.”
Lotte coach Larry Sutton also praised him, saying, “Na Kyun-an has done it again. He showed great pitching that broke the losing streak.”