'No. 1 and DH Deployment': Lotte's Reyes Gets a Boost in His Bid for the Most Hits! Manager Kim Tae-hyung Offers Praise: "A Historic Record Built Step by Step" [On-site in Busan]

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Lotte Giants Manager Kim Tae-hyung (59) moved Victor Reyes (32) up the batting order to support his challenge for the most hits record.

Lotte announced its starting lineup for the home game against the LG Twins in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, scheduled to be held at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium on the 9th.

On this day, Lotte constructed its batting order with Victor Reyes (designated hitter) - Na Seung-yeop (first baseman) - Ko Seung-min (second baseman) - Han Dong-hee (third baseman) - Jeon Min-jae (shortstop) - Son Seong-bin (catcher) - Jo Se-jin (left fielder) - Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder) - Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder). The starting pitcher is Kim Han-gyeol.

Before the game, Song Jae-young and Park Se-jin were registered on the first division roster, while Kim Kang-hyun and Kim Tae-gyun were removed. Kim Tae-gyun experienced his first loss of the season against the Busan KIA Tigers on the 7th, allowing five runs in 3⅔ innings.

Before the game, Manager Kim Tae-hyung stated, "Tae-gyun pitched well," but added, "However, he has a good curveball, yet he didn't even think about using it once. His forkball and cutter are also good, but if you keep using only two pitches, the opposing lineup will read them. You have to show that there is one more pitch (the curveball) in your arsenal so that batters have to think about it at least once. Also, Tae-gyun has a relatively good curveball," expressing his disappointment.

The starting pitcher on this day is rookie Kim Han-gyeol. Kim Han-gyeol is also a starting resource that Lotte expects from. Although his record in 8 games with 1 loss, an ERA of 8.10, and 9 strikeouts in 10 innings is weak, he is evaluated as having potential as a starter. Manager Kim Tae-hyung said, "I am thinking of using Kim Han-gyeol for 70 to 80 pitches. Kim Han-gyeol also has a good curveball."

Although they failed to make the postseason, Lotte's remaining four games are of great interest to KBO League fans for two reasons. Lotte will face 4th-place LG in Busan on the 9th and 10th, 3rd-place KIA Tigers in Gwangju on the 11th, and 5th-place Doosan Bears at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 12th, in that order.

With 5th place confirmed following Doosan's loss on the 7th, 3rd-place KIA (76 wins, 2 draws, 62 losses) and 4th-place LG (77 wins, 1 draw, 63 losses) are engaged in a fierce battle for direct advancement to the Junior Playoffs with no gap between them.

The other reason is Reyes' competition for the most hits. Reyes is having a career-high season this year with a .359 batting average (203 hits in 565 at-bats), 17 home runs, 105 RBIs, 81 runs scored, and 1 stolen base in 140 games, along with an on-base percentage of .408, a slugging percentage of .522, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .930.

He updated his own KBO most hits record with multi-hit games for four consecutive days, but competitor Choi Won-jun (29, KT Wiz) also showed formidable hitting form. Choi Won-jun hit 15 hits in six games in October, surpassing Reyes to set a new KBO record for the most hits. The two are separated by just one hit, with Reyes trailing, but since KT has two games remaining and Lotte has four, Reyes is in a slightly advantageous position.

Manager Kim Tae-hyung, who has watched Reyes' three-year journey most closely, highly praised his consistency. Reyes is likely to appear in all of the remaining four games this year as well, heading toward playing every game for the third consecutive season. Manager Kim Tae-hyung encouraged Reyes' challenge by saying, "Playing every game is truly significant. He has built a historic record step by step."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original