Is it anxiety-inducing whenever the ball goes to first base? Lotte foreign pitcher Jeremy Bissell had a different perspective on his erratic teammate, first baseman Na Seung-yeop: "I should have thrown better pitches."

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants foreign pitcher Jeremy Bissell (31) supported his teammate, first baseman Na Seung-yeop (24), who displayed erratic defensive plays.

On the 21st, Bissell started for Lotte in a home game against SSG Landers at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season. He pitched six innings, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out seven batters, giving up only one earned run to lead Lotte to a 6-2 victory.

His ability to manage crises and hold opponents at bay even in difficult situations stood out. That day, Bissell mixed his fastest pitch (154 km/h, 27 throws) with sliders (25), cutters (14), forkballs (14), and two-seam fastballs (4), throwing a total of 84 pitches to achieve a quality start (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs).

After the game, Bissell said, "It was exactly the kind of game I wanted. It had been a while since I returned to the mound, and the weather made things difficult. I was eager to throw as soon as possible, and that feeling seemed to show clearly on the mound."

Unusual situations frequently occurred at first base. The will of SSG batters trying to break their losing streak collided with Lotte's first baseman Na Seung-yeop, whose defense was not particularly strong. Initially, Na managed well. In the bottom of the third inning with one out and runners on first and second, he cleanly fielded Park Sung-han's ground ball and recorded an out. He instinctively caught Blay Maddox's quick hit as it rolled behind him.

Several anxious moments were also exposed. During Kim Jae-hwan's at-bat in the bottom of the fourth inning, Na failed to immediately secure a bouncer with a large hop, forcing him to rely on the second baseman. Fortunately, after video review, the play was ruled an out on a ground ball.

On Choi Ji-hoon's hit, it was somewhat unlucky. In the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs and runners on second and third, Choi hit a fast, low shot toward right-center field. Na attempted to catch the ball, but it quickly slipped under his glove for a run-scoring single.

Bissell responded, "I prefer ground balls. I wouldn't mind inducing them all day long. From the start of the game, SSG's left-handed batters were trying to pull the ball as hard as possible, which made things difficult."

He continued, "Still, I appreciate his good plays. If I had thrown better pitches, the ball might not have slipped past the first baseman. It might not have even been a fly ball in the first place. Regardless of the situation, I will continue to trust the defense behind me and pitch accordingly."

Na Seung-yeop immediately made up for his defensive shortcomings at the plate. With Lotte trailing 0-1 and two outs with runners on second and third, he hit a two-run single down the left-center field gap. Thanks to this run, Bissell became the winning pitcher.

Bissell added, "Beyond that run-scoring hit, Na Seung-yeop has done more for me throughout the game. Baseball is like that. There are days when you drop catchable balls and days when you don't. Someday, Na might make a difficult catch and save us from a crisis. Today, he immediately made up for it with a run. All these processes are part of baseball, so I don't worry too much about them."

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*This content was translated by AI.