'With' and forkball only, Lotte sees a 150km/h two-seam fastball starter emerge... "His velocity was so good I focused even harder," even the batting champion and national team player admitted it.

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants rookie Kim Han-gyeol (20) sang a song of hope with impressive pitching in his first division debut game.

Kim Han-gyeol recorded 4⅓ innings (73 pitches), allowed two hits, issued three walks, struck out five batters, and gave up four runs in the visiting match against SSG Landers at the Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 12th during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, suffering his first career loss.

Lotte failed to provide any run support for its young pitcher and lost 1-9. The eighth-place Lotte, whose winning streak was snapped, finished with 44 wins, two draws, and 56 losses, remaining in eighth place.

It was a sudden appearance for the rookie. Na Gyun-an (28), who was scheduled to start that day, developed throat symptoms after waking up, so Lotte assigned Kim Han-gyeol, who was with the first division team, to take on the starting role. Kim Han-gyeol was originally expected to make his debut against Busan NC Dinos on the 14th but instead made his first division debut two days early.

However, facing SSG's well-developed lineup, Kim Han-gyeol pitched bravely. That day, he mixed a maximum-speed 150km/h two-seam fastball (41 pitches), forkball (22 pitches), and curveball (10 pitches), throwing a total of 73 pitches.

When a pitcher with an unfamiliar two-seam fastball appeared among Lotte's starters who relied almost entirely on forkballs, SSG batters were initially flustered. The top-order lineup consisting of Jung Jun-jae, Park Sung-han, and Kim Jae-hwan was retired in just nine pitches, all by the decisive two-seam fastball. In particular, national team shortstop Park Sung-han, who holds a batting average ranking third, swung at an outside two-seam fastball and missed, becoming the victim of Kim Han-gyeol's first career strikeout.

In the second inning, he consistently threw outside to Jeon Ui-san and induced a swing-and-miss strikeout. Later, he issued a walk to Oh Tae-gon and allowed a two-run double down the right-field line by Choi Ji-hoon. However, Choi Ji-hoon hit the dropping ball well while losing his stance, and there were moments where Kim Han-gyeol received no defensive support.

Facing SSG's top-order lineup again in the third inning, he struck out Park Sung-han and Kim Jae-hwan consecutively to record a three-up, three-down inning. He also closed out the fourth inning with a three-up, three-down sequence thanks to his powerful pitching, using only eight pitches at that point.

Of course, as it was his first appearance, there were areas for improvement. His control wavered when runners were on base. Physical stamina was also a concern. In the fifth inning with one out, Kim Han-gyeol allowed a middle-ground single by Jo Hyung-woo, then issued a walk to An Sang-hyun before being replaced by Lee Young-jae. Later, Lee Young-jae gave up a two-run double down the middle by Park Sung-han, increasing Kim Han-gyeol's earned run total to four.

However, it was a passing grade for his first division debut game. He even received praise from opposing batters after the game. Park Sung-han of SSG, who struck out twice against Kim Han-gyeol that day, said, "Because the opposing pitcher's velocity was so good today (the 12th), I tried to focus even more at the plate. Looking back on the situation where I scored runs, only one pitch from the pitcher was a mistake among many good ones, and I didn't miss the opportunity, swinging actively, which led to a good result."

It was also a game that proved Manager Kim Tae-hyung (59) had faith in his decision. Kim Han-gyeol is a right-handed pitcher who graduated from Munchang Elementary School (Gwangmyeong Little), Seongnam Middle School, and Seongnam High School before joining Lotte as the 54th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft. His strengths include a fastball reaching up to 149km/h and a high-value splitter. In the Futures League, he recorded one win, two losses, an ERA of 4.15 over 11 games, with 27 strikeouts in 26 innings.

Even though the manager usually says that even excellent Futures League performance doesn't guarantee success in the first division, he showed unusual expectations for Kim Han-gyeol. Manager Kim said, "I saw him once during live practice, and his velocity was good. He wasn't originally on the (call-up) rotation list, but reports kept coming up. After watching the video afterward, I found his breaking balls were also good. He still feels a bit like a kid, but given his physical condition, if he builds his body systematically, he will be able to throw good pitches," and smiled.

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*This content was translated by AI.