"For the students of Yungma High School, Jung Hoon was an idol." On the day his high school senior departed, Na Gyun-an delivered a 7-inning QS+ performance and a victory. [Busan Field Report]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants' Na Gyun-an (28) illuminated the retirement ceremony of his Yungma High School senior, Jung Hoon (39), with his best pitching performance.

On the 26th, Na Gyun-an started for Lotte in the home game against LG Twins at the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium. He pitched 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks while recording 5 strikeouts and 2 earned runs, leading Lotte to a 3-2 victory and securing his fourth win of the season (6 losses).

Thanks to this, the eighth-place Lotte team, with a record of 32 wins, 2 draws, and 40 losses, maintained a four-game lead over the fifth-place Doosan Bears (37 wins, 2 draws, 37 losses).

Both teams' starting pitchers engaged in a fierce pitching duel with Quality Start Plus (QS+·7 innings or more with 3 or fewer earned runs) performances. LG's Im Chan-kyu also pitched well, allowing 5 hits and 2 walks while recording 3 strikeouts and 3 earned runs over 7 innings, but his team's offense was limited to 6 hits, resulting in his second loss of the season (7 wins).

However, Na Gyun-an was slightly ahead. He mixed a total of 97 pitches, including a fastball clocked at a top speed of 147 km/h (29 pitches), forkball (31 pitches), cutter (24 pitches), curveball (8 pitches), slider (3 pitches), and two-seam fastball (1 pitch), to dismantle the LG lineup.

He navigated the first-inning crisis with a groundout. The leadoff hitter, Hong Chang-gi, hit a ball that shortstop Jeon Min-jae failed to field, allowing him to reach first base. Na Gyun-an got Park Hae-min to ground out to second base and issued a straight fastball walk to Austin Dean, creating a crisis. However, he induced a groundout to second base by throwing a two-seam fastball to Moon Bo-kyung, escaping the danger with a double play.

Na Gyun-an continued his dominant pitching through the fifth inning, including three up, three down in the second and third innings, but allowed his first run in the sixth. Leadoff hitter Hong Chang-gi reached base on an infield hit, and Park Hae-min hit a double down the right-field line. Na Gyun-an struck out Austin with a swing-and-miss, but he gave up a sacrifice fly to center field for one RBI to Moon Bo-kyung and a two-run single to the left side to Song Chan-ui, tying the game 2-2.

Fortunately, he struck out Oh Ji-hwan with a swing-and-miss, and in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on first, Jeon Min-jae's one-run single to left-center field broke the game, securing the win.

After the game, Na Gyun-an said, "Before today's game, I told Son Seong-bin not to shake his head. I only threw based on Seong-bin's signs, and thanks to Seong-bin's excellent lead, I was able to pitch 7 innings," crediting his partner Son Seong-bin.

He continued, "I was most disappointed about allowing a hit to Song Chan-ui in the sixth inning. After that, I focused on syncing with Seong-bin to stay steady, and I think it was effective that we didn't allow any additional runs."

Today was also the retirement ceremony for Jung Hoon, Na Gyun-an's Yungma High School senior and Lotte teammate. Jung Hoon began his professional career after joining Hyundai Unicorns as a developmental player in 2006, having graduated from Yangdeok Elementary, Changwon Dong Middle, and Yungma High School. He later joined Lotte in 2010, where he flourished. Na Gyun-an, who graduated from Muhak Elementary, Changwon Sinwol Middle, and Yungma High School, was selected by Lotte as the third pick in the second round of the 2017 KBO Rookie Draft and spent nine years alongside Jung Hoon.

Na Gyun-an recalled, "I am very happy to be able to decorate the retirement ceremony of my senior, Jung Hoon, who is both a high school senior and a Lotte senior, with a victory. When I attended Yungma High School, Senior Jung Hoon was an idol and an inspiring player for the students."

He further added, "Thanks to his generous donations, juniors were able to grow well as professional players. In fact, I wanted to play alongside him for a longer period, so I am disappointed that we couldn't. Even though Senior Jung is leaving the field, I will never forget his fighting spirit and passionate play."

A full house of 23,200 spectators gathered for the game today to celebrate Jung Hoon's retirement. In front of the full house, the Lotte team displayed their best performance. Lotte, with a solid starting rotation, has led the league in wins during the same period with 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in their last 10 games.

Na Gyun-an said with determination, "Following last week, we are maintaining a good atmosphere this week as well. With many games left in the first half, we will do our best to finish with a good record and climb higher in the second half."

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*This content was translated by AI.