Will Lotte make a dramatic turnaround in the second half? It's anything but ordinary thanks to 'this player'... just one hit allowed in 5 innings... The manager also praised him highly, saying, "He's good, confident, and has his control." [Busan Field Report]

*This content was translated by AI.

Can Lotte Giants achieve a major breakthrough in the second half? After showing strong team performance toward the end of the first half, expectations for this lucky foreign player are rising even higher. The central figure is none other than 26-year-old Japanese pitcher Iimura Shota, who fills the Asia quota.

On the 9th, Lotte lost 2-5 to the KIA Tigers in a regular-season home game at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this loss, Lotte finished the first half with a record of 38 wins, 2 ties, and 45 losses, placing 8th in the league standings. Although they are in 8th place, Lotte's moves in the second half are expected to be anything but ordinary. They trail the 7th-place NC Dinos by two games and the 5th-place Doosan Bears by five games. Lotte possesses both the performance and capability to join the battle for the top five, depending on the remaining games' outcomes.

Lotte's reliable relief pitchers in the second half are expected to be Iimura Shota, Kim Won-joong, and Choi Jun-yong. In particular, attention must be paid to Iimura's stability.

Iimura is a replacement Asia quota pitcher signed by Lotte on the 18th of last month for a total contract value of $70,000 (approximately 170 million won). The Lotte organization stated, "He possesses powerful fastballs averaging 147 km/h and reaching up to 153 km/h, combined with precise control that allows him to effectively target low areas in the strike zone. He can freely utilize his sinker, slider, curveball, and splitter." Before joining Lotte, he posted an impressive ERA of 0.93 while pitching 29 innings during Taiwan's Spring League this year.

Iimura made his KBO League debut against the LG Twins on June 27 and has recorded 1 win, 1 loss, and 2 holds with an ERA of 5.63 across 7 relief appearances. Over a total of 8 innings, he allowed 7 hits (including 1 home run), struck out 7 batters, gave up 5 runs (all earned), posted a WHIP of 1.00, and held opponents to a batting average of .233.

He struggled initially. In the June 27 game against LG, he pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk while giving up 3 runs (all earned). The following day against LG on the 28th, he pitched 2 innings, allowing 4 hits (including 1 home run), striking out 3 batters, and surrendering 2 runs (both earned), showing signs of instability in both outings.

However, the slump lasted only two games. In five games played throughout July, he managed to keep all opponents scoreless. On the 1st against Doosan Bears, he pitched a perfect 1⅓ innings; on the 3rd against KT Wiz, he threw a perfect 1 inning; and on the 4th against KT, he delivered a perfect 1-inning performance with one strikeout. Following this, on the 8th against KIA, he allowed just 1 hit while striking out 2 batters in a scoreless 1-inning outing, and then on the 9th against KIA again, he succeeded in another perfect 1-inning performance with one strikeout. During these five games, his ERA remained at '0'. He allowed baserunners only once during this period.

The manager also places his trust in him. Ahead of the game on the 9th, Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung responded to questions about Iimura by saying, "He's good. His presence on the mound is confident right now. First and foremost, he has his control," expressing clear confidence.

Indeed, what kind of contribution will Iimura make to Lotte's second-half comeback? Expectations from Lotte fans are already rising.

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*This content was translated by AI.