'1-point concession due to a terrible error' Na Seung-yeop excluded from starting lineup! Noh Jin-hyuk starts at second base and first base... Lotte announces starting lineup for home game against LG [Busan]

*This content was translated by AI.

Na Seung-yeop (24) of the Lotte Giants, who conceded a point with a fatal error the previous day (27th), has been excluded from the starting lineup.

On the 28th, Lotte announced its starting lineup for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game against LG Twins to be held at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium.

For today's game, Lotte arranged its batting order as follows: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Noh Jin-hyuk (first baseman), Victor Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Park Seung-wook (third baseman), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). Jeremy Biesli is the starting pitcher.

Na Seung-yeop has not performed well this season, batting 0.247 in 43 games (150 at-bats, 37 hits), with 5 home runs and 26 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.711. In his last 10 games, his performance was even worse, with a batting average of 0.188 (32 at-bats, 6 hits).

The previous day, he even committed a fatal error that shifted the momentum of the game. In the bottom of the 7th inning with Lotte leading 5-2, one out, and runners on first and third, Na Seung-yeop fielded a ground ball hit by Moon Bo-kyung. Hyeon Do-hoon was properly covering first base, and the only thing required was a proper throw.

However, Na Seung-yeop threw the ball overhand with excessive force from a short distance, sending it well over Hyeon Do-hoon's head. During that time, third baseman Park Hae-min scored at home plate, and first baseman Austin Dean advanced to third base. Following this, Cheon Seong-ho hit a tying RBI single, and in the 8th inning, Austin hit a bases-loaded home run, leading to Lotte's 7-8 comeback loss.

Before the game, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung commented on the incident, saying, "It seems he got anxious because the throw was mishandled. It also seems he was worried about being late if he used an underhand toss. There have been repeated misplays at first base, and he has been practicing a lot. However, it seems he has some trauma during games, leading to frequent errors. If these errors continue, it becomes difficult for me as a manager to calculate whether to use him at first base."

New Asia quota player Iimura Shota, who made his KBO debut the previous day with a disappointing performance, was also pulled. Iimura took the mound in the bottom of the 8th inning with Lotte leading 5-4. He retired Hong Chang-ki and Gu Bon-hyeok with ground balls but allowed consecutive hits to Shin Min-jae and Song Chan-ui. He also issued a walk against Park Hae-min and was eventually replaced by Choi Jun-yong. Following this, Choi Jun-yong allowed a bases-loaded home run to Austin, making Iimura the losing pitcher.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "We had no one else to throw. Kim Won-joong was already used, and Park Jeong-min was intentionally not brought in. Park Jeong-min's control has been too inconsistent. His velocity reaches up to 150 km/h, so we believed he was capable. He may have been nervous inside, but seeing him secure the first pitch as a strike, we thought he was fine."

There were also hopeful signs. Lotte's key hitters Han Dong-hee and Yoon Dong-hee hit back-to-back home runs, marking their first home runs since their debuts. Regarding this, Manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "It's good for anyone to hit. The two Dong-hees are gradually coming back to form, but the two left-handed hitters (Na Seung-yeop and Go Seung-min) are not performing well. Reyes' form has also dropped significantly. We made some changes to the lineup, but ultimately, these players are the ones who must lead the team, so we will have to wait a bit longer."

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*This content was translated by AI.