'Six consecutive BBBBBB' with bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice run, why did Coach Kim Tae-hyung give another chance to the 20th-year-old rookie? [Busan on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung (59) embraced rookie Kim Han-gyeol (20), who failed to throw a single pitch and only managed eight pitches before being pulled the previous day (the 29th).

On the 30th, Lotte announced its starting lineup for the home game against LG Twins at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

For today's game, Lotte arranged its batting order as follows: Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Victor Reyes (left fielder), Han Dong-hee (designated hitter), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Noh Jin-hyuk (third baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Son Seong-bin (catcher), and Jeon Min-jae (shortstop). The starting pitcher is Na Gyun-an.

Prior to the game, right-handed pitcher Kim Ki-jun (22) was added to the first-team roster, while left-handed pitcher Jung Hyun-soo (24) was removed. Manager Kim Tae-hyung of Lotte met with reporters before the game and explained, "There are times when a left-handed pitcher needs to throw for an extended period. However, since he couldn't do that and ended up throwing only to left-handed batters, I decided to pull him."

The previous day, Lotte's starting pitcher Kim Jin-wook was pulled after pitching 4⅓ innings and allowing seven runs. Manager Kim Tae-hyung expressed regret, saying, "I wish (Kim) Jin-wook had thrown with more strength and confidence. Watching from the sidelines yesterday, his arm swing itself wasn't good. Starting with an unfavorable count forced him to throw down the middle, which led to hits."

The relief pitchers also failed to fulfill their roles, resulting in a 3-8 loss. Manager Kim Tae-hyung noted, "Like other teams, our relievers issued too many walks. The early battle is crucial. When the starting pitcher gives up runs and the relievers allow three or four more, it becomes difficult to turn the game around if they collapse at that point."

Notably, in the bottom of the fifth inning with Lotte trailing 3-5, one out, and a runner on second base, Kim Han-gyeol allowed a bunt single to Kwon Bon-hyuk and a walk to Lee Ju-heon, creating a bases-loaded situation. He then hit Hong Chang-gi, resulting in a sacrifice run. Relief pitcher Lee Young-jae also issued a bases-loaded walk to Park Hae-min, leading to five runs scored in the fifth inning alone. Kim Jin-wook's total earned runs increased to seven.

Manager Kim stated, "(Kim) Han-gyeol seems eager to throw well. Yesterday, he threw many two-seam fastballs, but he should also know how to throw four-seam fastballs. While there is movement on the two-seamer, the ball must also reach the upper part of the strike zone."

He continued, "So after the game, I told him to throw some four-seamers in the bullpen to get a feel for it. He couldn't even throw properly before being pulled, so how would he feel if asked to go out again today? Still, since he threw a few pitches yesterday, his mindset might be slightly different today. For young players, this process is extremely important."

However, expectations for Kim Han-gyeol have not been abandoned. Along with Kim Tae-kyun (20) of the Futures League team, Kim Han-gyeol was selected as a replacement starter to fill the vacancy left when Kim Jin-wook was called up for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games starting September 15.

Manager Kim revealed his plan: "We are also considering pairing Kim Han-gyeol and Kim Tae-kyun together. If one throws around 50 to 60 pitches, the other could follow immediately. Alternatively, both could share six innings."

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*This content was translated by AI.