"Hyun Do-hoon, 6 ⅓ scoreless innings." Lotte's second division was also strong! Ulsan Wales' historical first game 1-3 defeat 'Choi Bo-sung's first RBI' comfort [Ulsan Field Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Lotte Giants Futures team (second division) was also solid. Ulsan Wales, the first KBO citizen club to play a historic home game, realized the high professional wall.

Ulsan Wales lost 1-3 to the Lotte Giants Futures team in the 2026 Medi Hill KBO Futures League home opener at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on the 20th.

On this day, Ulsan Wales took a historic first step as the first KBO civic team. Ulsan Wales completed the formation of a total of 39 players, starting with the appointment of manager Jang Won-jin in January. Before the game, head coach Jang Won-jin said, "I'm honestly excited because it's my first game since the foundation. There is a burden because the preparation period is not long, but the players worked hard and improved their condition a lot. I'm not 100% yet, but I'm going to keep playing the season and try and practice to fill the remaining%," he said.

A crowd of 7,214 people gathered to celebrate the departure of Ulsan Wales. Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom and KBO President Koo Hu-yeon took over the first pitch and hitters, respectively. Seven fans representing Ulsan citizens were placed at each position with the team and announced a spectacular start with fireworks.

Starting pitcher Akita Okada became a losing pitcher with four hits (72 pitches), four strikeouts, and three runs (two earned) in five innings. He threw a total of 72 pitches, including 36 fastball, 17 sliders, 12 forks, 5 curves, and 2 changeups. The maximum speed is 147 kilometers per hour. Choi Bo-seong from the NC Dinos became the first RBI player in Ulsan and Wales. Choi Bo-sung recovered a point with a ground ball with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning when Wales was losing 0-3.

On the other hand, the Lotte Futures team became the winning pitcher with Hyun Do-hoon and Hyun Do-hoon giving up one hit, one walk, and five strikeouts in six ⅓ innings (81 pitches). The batters also led the victory by hitting five hits in the right place. Shin Yoon-hoo became the leading player in the victory with two hits (one homer) and one RBI in three times at bat.

On this day, Ulsan Wales consisted of Ye Jin-won (right wing), Choi Bo-sung (third baseman), Alex Hall (catcher), Kim Dong-yeop (designated hitter), Byun Sang-ho (left wing), Kim Si-wan (center fielder), Kim Sung-kyun (first baseman), Kim Soo-in (second baseman), and Park Min-seok (striker). The starting pitcher is Akita Okada.

Against this, Lotte formed a lineup of Hwang Sung-bin (center fielder), Kim Han-hole (right wing), Park Jae-yeop (catcher), Kim Dong-hyun (designated hitter), Shin Yoon-hoo (left wing), Choi Hang (second baseman), Lee Tae-kyung (third baseman), Kim Ho-beom (first baseman), and Lee Ji-hoon (striker). The starting pitcher is Hyun Do-hoon.

It started with a mistake by third baseman Choi Bo-sung in the first inning. Hwang Sung-bin stole second base. In the process of checking the runner, Hwang Sung-bin survived and advanced to third base, and he slid home when Park Jae-yeop hit a ground ball to score the first run. In the top of the second inning, leadoff hitter Shin Yoon-hoo scored an additional point with a solo shot to the left. Lotte's 2-0 lead.

Ulsan and Wales have also launched counterattacks. In the bottom of the second inning, leadoff hitter Kim Dong-yeop got on base with a walk. Lotte right fielder Kim Han-hole missed Bae Sang-kwon's ball, making it the first and second bases with no outs. However, Kim Si-wan struck out swinging, Kim Sung-kyun hit a fly ball to right field, and Kim Soo-in failed to hit a follow-up hit with a ground ball to shortstop.

Okada made the first three-out inning in the third inning. In the fourth inning with one out, Kim Dong-hyun also hit a double to left field, but he returned the follow-up batters to a mistake. However, he allowed a run with his disappointing defense once again. In the top of the fifth inning, leadoff hitter Lee Tae-kyung got on base with a heavy hit. Kim Ho-beom became the first and third base with a hit to the right, and the third baseman homered when Lee Ji-hoon grounded out to shortstop to make it 3-0.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Ulsan Wales took another chance. Pinch hitter Noh Kang-min made an infield hit with a hit on the third base and a fast foot. Min Sung-woo made a heavy hit against Koo Seung-min, who took the mound in relief, and Park Min-seok made an infield hit to load the bases with no outs. When Choi Bo-sung hit a ground ball, the third baseman homered, resulting in Ulsan Wales' first score. However, the tie failed when Hall hit a ground ball to second base.

The last chance came at the end of the ninth inning. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with one out, Bae Sang-kwon walked to get on base. Oh Hyun-seok made the first and second bases with a hit in the right-center field. Noh Kang-min's batting was disappointing. Noh Kang-min's ball, which hit Kim Tae-hyuk's real pitch properly, flew to the left fence. However, he couldn't stretch further and was caught by Shin Yoon-hoo's glove, failing to turn the game around in the end.

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*This content was translated by AI.