'6G ERA 2.63→4 innings, 8 earned runs' — 156 km/h right-hander removed from first division roster... Na Gyun-an, Kim Jin-wook, Jeremy Wisely to start against LG [Busan]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants and LG Twins, both teams whose losing streaks have been snapped, will face each other.

On the 26th, Lotte announced its starting lineup for the visiting game against LG Twins at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

For Lotte, the lineup was arranged as follows: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Victor Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Park Seung-wook (third baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). The starting pitcher is Na Gyun-an.

In response, LG set its lineup as: Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Song Chan-ui (designated hitter), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Park Dong-won (catcher), Moon Sung-ju (left fielder), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Im Chan-kyu.

Both teams had their winning streaks snapped the previous day (25th). Lotte's seven-game winning streak (with one tie) ended, and LG's five-game winning streak was halted. There were significant changes in the lineup as well. The previous day, Lotte removed outfielders Kim Dong-hyun and Shin Yun-hoo, and pitcher Jeong Cheol-won from the first division roster, while calling up infielder Park Chan-hyung, pitcher Hong Min-ki, and Shota Iimura.

Today, hard-throwing right-hander Lee Min-seok was sent down to the minor league. Lee had started the previous day against Busan NC Dinos, pitching four innings with 10 hits allowed, three walks, five strikeouts, and eight earned runs, performing poorly. In his place, left-handed starter Kim Jin-wook, who had been resting, will be called up tomorrow (27th). On Sunday (28th), Jeremy Wisely will take the mound.

Prior to the game, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung explained, "Lee Min-seok is likely to move to the bullpen if he comes up to the first division after pitching in the Futures League team. He seemed fine when he had a chance to start, but it seems more appropriate for him to go to the bullpen now. We also considered using six starters, but starting pitchers need to cover that many innings. However, they haven't been able to do so. If they reach around 90 pitches, they need to be replaced, so there's no real reason to use six starters."

Nevertheless, hope was found in Kim Ki-jun, Lee Jin-ha, and Kim Kang-hyun, who each pitched five innings bravely. The previous day, Kim Ki-jun pitched two innings allowing one hit and striking out two, Lee Jin-ha pitched two innings allowing two hits and striking out one, and Kim Kang-hyun pitched one inning allowing one hit and striking out one, combining for scoreless innings. It was impressive that neither of the two pitchers issued a walk.

Starting from this series, Lotte will face top-ranked teams including first-place LG, fifth-place Doosan Bears, second-place KT Wiz, and fourth-place KIA Tigers until the All-Star break. Manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "There's no special preparation needed just because we're facing top teams. They still need to pitch well and hit well, just like anyone else. We believe the lineup is somewhat set; we just need the batting touch to come around. For pitchers, they should continue as they have been doing. In fact, we needed to score early, but we've been playing too tightly. That's a bit disappointing. We've managed to hold them off, but top teams have different lineups. First, the lineup needs to break through so the pitchers don't feel burdened."

Meanwhile, LG removed pitchers Lee Jeong-yong and Bae Jae-jun from the first division roster after a significant slump the previous day. In their place, Lee Woo-chan and Jo Won-tae were called up. Lee Jeong-yong started against Jamsil Samsung Lions on the 25th, pitching five innings with nine hits allowed (one home run), six walks and hit-by-pitches (five walks, one hit-by-pitch), two strikeouts, and eight earned runs, collapsing significantly. Bae Jae-jun also appeared in relief on the same day, pitching two innings with five hits allowed, four walks and hit-by-pitches (two walks, two hit-by-pitches), and three earned runs, failing to prevent the team's defeat.

Both Lee Woo-chan and Jo Won-tae are left-handed pitchers. Lee Woo-chan recorded an ERA of 3.86 in five games in the Futures League this year, while Jo Won-tae has recorded 3 wins and 3 losses with an ERA of 5.74 in 12 games.

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*This content was translated by AI.