'Sore throat' derails Na Gyun-an's start → Rookie debuts with a 149 km/h pitch! Lotte lineup sees only one change at third base... Noh Jin-hyuk replaced by Son Ho-young [Incheon on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

On the 12th, Lotte announced its starting lineup for the away game against SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

Lotte's lineup that day was: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Victor Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Son Ho-young (third baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), and Son Seong-bin (catcher). The starting pitcher was Kim Han-gyeol.

In response, SSG lined up: Jung Jun-jae (second baseman), Park Sung-han (shortstop), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Jeon Ui-san (first baseman), Oh Tae-gon (right fielder), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Bly Madris (left fielder), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), and An Sang-hyun (third baseman). The starting pitcher was Kim Min-jun.

Just before the game, Lotte suffered a sudden blow as its scheduled starting pitcher changed. Na Gyun-an (28), originally announced to start, could not take the mound due to symptoms of a sore throat.

Na had been performing well this season with 19 games, 5 wins, 9 losses, an ERA of 4.14, and 108⅔ innings pitched with 97 strikeouts, earning recognition as a potential second starter after the summer heat break.

However, due to an unexpected injury that canceled his start, the opportunity went to rookie Kim Han-gyeol (20). A right-handed pitcher who graduated from Myeongmyung Elementary School (Gwangmyeong Little League), Seongnam Middle School, and Seongnam High School, Kim was selected in the 6th round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft as the 54th overall pick. He boasts a fastball reaching up to 149 km/h and a high-value splitter. In the Futures League, he recorded 1 win, 2 losses, an ERA of 4.15, and 27 strikeouts in 26 innings over 11 games, showing promise.

Despite suffering a loss the previous day (the 11th) on just six scattered hits, Lotte made only one change to its lineup: third baseman Noh Jin-hyuk was replaced by Son Ho-young. Son has played 64 games this season with a batting average of .212 (33 hits in 156 at-bats), four home runs, 17 RBIs, and 19 runs scored, posting an on-base percentage of .277 and a slugging percentage of .346. Son is considered by Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung as a potential regular third baseman. Earlier, Manager Kim stated, "The ideal scenario would be for Son Ho-young to secure the third base position, but he has not yet fully established himself there."

Meanwhile, Lotte removed catcher Park Geon-woo from its first-team roster and added left-handed pitcher Park Se-jin to strengthen its bullpen.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.