A folk ball master has been reborn! Will Na Kyun-an, the 5th starter, repay the trust of the recovered master?

Mar 21, 2025

The KBO League exhibition game between Lotte and LG held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 11th. Lotte starter Na Kyun-an overcame the bases-loaded crisis with two outs in the first inning. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.03.11/

Lotte starter Na Kyun-an is pitching hard in an exhibition game between Lotte and Kiwoom at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 18th. Gocheok = Reporter's book@sportschosun.com/2025.03.18/

It's a very different location than this time last year. However, the coach's trust was also directed at Na Kyun-an.

This winter, when the fierce battle for the 5th starter took place, Na Kyun-an took the 5th starting position for the Lotte Giants. He overcame disputes with veterans such as Park Jin, Park Joon-woo, Han Hyun-hee and Kim Tae-hyun, and competitors including newcomers.

He is a catcher, but he is not a pitcher who throws a fastball over 150km. Instead, he is good at reading the psychology of others and has good control over the borderline. This is why the head coach's physical management, whose maximum fastball speed reached 148km, was also well received.

Above all, he was finally chosen in that he knew how to throw strikes and run the game. In particular, in the competition with Park Jin, who left the most impressive impression, his experience was well-received.

The exchange game between the Lotte Giants and the Chiba Lotte Marines held at Miyako nojo Baseball Stadium in Miyazaki, Japan on the 28th. Lotte's Na Kyun-an is catching his breath and struggling. Miyazaki(Japan) = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com/2025.02.28/

Na Kyun-an pitched hard with two runs in five innings against Kiwoom in the final exhibition game, which was the last rehearsal, making head coach Kim Tae-hyung laugh. The most positive point is the proportion of strikes, which is 69.5%.

When he turned to a pitcher for the first time and played in the bullpen, he showed his natural ability to play various pitches such as cut fastball, slider and curve.

have good control and confidence in breaking ballsBonnie stands out for his boldness in stabbing the strike zone. When he is in good condition, he also has the ability to reduce the number of pitches by drawing out the batter's sight early.

Since turning to a full-time starter in earnest, he has been close to a folk bowler. As a result, the strikeout rate has improved significantly. Last year, the control of folk balls was shaken and struggled, but in the end, the focus was on sharpening the fork balls.

When he wore the Lotte uniform in the second round in 2017, he was in the spotlight as a prospect for a huge catcher. After a wrist injury, he turned into a pitcher in 2020, and began to play in the first division in earnest in 2021.

The KBO League exhibition game between Lotte and LG held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 11th. Lotte's Na Kyun-an, who is pitching as a starter. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.03.11/

'Again 2023' is desperate. At that time, he pitched 130 ⅓ innings in 23 games with a 6-8 record and a 3.80 ERA. The regular innings was also close, and Cho Jung-hoon, the original folk ball master, recognized it as the `best folk ball at this time.'

Last season, in the first year of Kim Tae-hyung's inauguration, he gained trust enough to say, `The fourth starter is reliable.' However, due to repeated personal history problems, the trust was lost.

Nevertheless, head coach Kim Tae-hyung decided to trust Na Gyun-an once again. Will he be able to repay you. Na Kyun-an's rebound and emergency could be the first step toward Lotte's first advance into autumn baseball in eight years.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.

A folk ball master has been reborn! Will Na Kyun-an, the 5th starter, repay the trust of the recovered master?

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