There is no sign of improvement. Five runs in the first inning, the head coach pointed out...Is it the biggest crisis for foreigners in their fourth year

Apr 24, 2025

There is no sign of improvement. Five runs in the first inning, the head coach pointed out...Is it the biggest crisis for foreigners in their fourth year
Lotte and Hanwha at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 23rd. Lotte Barnes is pitching as a starter. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.04.23/



There is no sign of improvement. Five runs in the first inning, the head coach pointed out...Is it the biggest crisis for foreigners in their fourth year
Lotte and Hanwha at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 23rd. Lotte Barnes is pitching as a starter. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.04.23/
"The ball is not good enough to see."

This year is the fourth year. Charlie Barnes (30, Lotte Giants) is in a serious slump.

Barnes started the home game against the Hanwha Eagles at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 23rd and allowed six runs (four earned runs) with six hits, four walks and three strikeouts in five innings. There was a defensive error in the first inning, but he made the game difficult by allowing five runs. In the end, the team lost 4-6, and Barnes lost for the fourth time of the season (two wins).




Barnes, who wore a Lotte uniform in 2022, successfully settled in the KBO League with 12 wins (12) in his first year. The following year, he also showed good performance with 11 wins and 10 losses and an ERA of 3.28 in 30 games, but he left a record of 9 wins, 6 losses and an ERA of 3.35 in 25 games due to injuries last year.

He has consistently played in the starting rotation, but his poor performance this season is unusual. He went 2-4 with a 5.67 ERA in six games. He, who was sluggish with seven runs in three innings against Jamsil LG, the opening game, later allowed one run in seven innings against KT Wiz, but failed to start quality (more than six innings and less than three earned runs) in the next two games. He thought he would rebound with two runs with 11 strikeouts in seven innings against Kiwoom on the 16th, but he eventually became a losing pitcher as he lost a point from the beginning against Hanwha, which has shown strong performance.

The maximum fastball speed was 146km, and slider (31), change-up (15), and two-seam (12) were mixed.




There is no sign of improvement. Five runs in the first inning, the head coach pointed out...Is it the biggest crisis for foreigners in their fourth year
Lotte and Hanwha at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 23rd. Lotte starter Barnes allowed five runs in the top of the first inning. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.04.23/
Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung sighed at Barnes' poor performance. He feared that it would be prolonged, not just a sluggish economy. Director Kim said "I don't have good pitching. I'll watch the next game first``````.

If Barnes' slump is prolonged, Lotte's season plan will also be severely disrupted. Manager Kim said, `The first starter must be calculated. The ball itself has fallen a lot, but if you play three innings, the speed is only about 140km. Sliders and changeups also need to swing and miss, but they are flat. I have to overcome the fastball with strength, but since it doesn't work, I think Barnes is also trying to throw the ball to the corner" he pointed out.

In the end, Barnes has to overcome the slump. If it does not improve for sure in the next appearance, Lotte will also have no choice but to find a new foreign player. Coach Kim said, `We have to keep throwing until we make a decision or something happens. There aren't many better starters on our team than Barnes" he expressed his concern.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.