"I was happy to pitch in front of a full house," said Lotte's Japanese right-handed pitcher, who proved his worth with just 68 pitches over two days, facing a bases-loaded crisis in his debut before securing his first hold the next day.

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants' new Asia quota player, Shota Iimura (28), bravely threw his pitches despite the pressure of a full house for two consecutive days.

Iimura joined Lotte as a newly acquired right-handed pitcher on the 18th, replacing Masaya Koyama. According to the Lotte organization, he is known for his fast pitches averaging 147 km/h and reaching up to 153 km/h, along with a heavy pitch quality. He is also praised for his precise control, capable of targeting low spots in the strike zone.

After a long absence from the mound, Iimura made his KBO debut in the Busan LG Twins game on the 27th. However, the situation was not favorable. With 23,200 fans filling the stadium, Lotte was trailing 5-4 in the eighth inning when Iimura entered as a relief pitcher. He managed to get two outs but allowed consecutive hits and a walk, leading to a bases-loaded crisis. The following pitcher, Jun-yong Choi, gave up a bases-loaded home run to Austin Dean and took the loss.

The result was disappointing. On that day, Iimura threw a total of 25 pitches, including 11 sliders, 9 fastballs, and 5 forkballs. His average fastball speed reached 150 km/h, with a peak of 152 km/h. He also showed good use of the left and right sides of the strike zone, generating expectations.

Meeting reporters the next day (28th), Iimura shared his thoughts on his debut: "When I got on the mound, the fans cheered and supported me a lot, so I wasn't nervous. I really enjoyed myself on the mound."

He did not worry much about the unfamiliar Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) system or his fastball velocity. Iimura stated, "Instead of focusing on the ABS, I put all my effort into throwing to the catcher's mitt. It was more important to definitely catch the batters with my velocity and take responsibility to hold them off. I felt sorry that I couldn't do that and ended up with a bases-loaded situation, passing the ball to the next pitcher."

Iimura is a player without professional experience. His career consisted only of playing for KMG Holdings in Japanese industrial baseball and Taiwan Life in Taiwanese industrial baseball. Although one might expect him to be nervous in the enthusiastic atmosphere of Sajik Baseball Stadium, he instead expressed gratitude.

He smiled broadly, saying, "The result was truly sorry for the team, but I was happy to pitch in front of a full house. It might be a bit of a stretch to call it a good experience, but personally, it was a good one. I was pleased with the inside-corner slider that induced a swing-and-miss from a left-handed batter, and among Korean foods, samgyeopsal was the most delicious."

He immediately alleviated that guilt by pitching for two consecutive days over multiple innings. With nearly four hours of intense play continuing for two days, Iimura, who threw 25 pitches on the 27th, took the mound again on the 28th. The result was completely different.

Iimura pitched two innings (43 pitches), allowing four hits (one home run), no walks, and striking out three batters while giving up two runs, laying the foundation for victory. Since the reliable relievers Jun-yong Choi and Won-joong Kim were unable to pitch, Iimura's two-inning performance greatly contributed to Lotte's 11-9, two-run victory.

Again, Iimura proved his value with bold pitching, including boldly throwing a fastball reaching 152 km/h inside against a full house. Catcher Seong-bin Son also praised Iimura, saying, "His pitches are really good. His command and pitch quality were excellent, and I felt that the quality was high for every type of pitch."

After recording his first hold, Iimura said, "I'm happy that I could help the team win. I went on the mound thinking I should trust the catcher as much as possible and pitch confidently. I think trusting the catcher and myself led to the good result." He left another reflection different from the previous day (27th).

He continued, "I didn't worry about the home run and focused on the next play. I hope I can help the team win by holding off runs as much as possible, no matter the situation."

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*This content was translated by AI.