Lotte Giants Na Kyun-an led the victory with the force of the ‘April MVP’. And unlike usual, he showed a strong roar. Maybe it was because I remembered the past relationship more.
Lotte Na Kyun-an started the match against the NC Dinos of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 23rd, and led the team to a 2-0 victory by fighting 6 innings, 86 pitches, 5 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and no runs.
On this day, Kyun-an Na clearly led the game with 30 four-seam fastballs of up to 147km, 39 forkballs, 12 curveballs, and 4 cutters. I definitely suppressed the NC lineup so that I couldn’t use my strength.
Of course, it wasn’t without a crisis. With a 2-0 lead, the top of the 5th inning, which was a watershed in the middle of the game, was the biggest crisis. Leading batter Yoon Hyeong-jun was allowed a double that hit the top of the left wall. And as Seo Ho-cheol hit the left-hander again, he was in danger of losing 1st and 3rd base.
When Kim Joo-won was at bat, even a wild fight came out, and the crisis amplified with the 2nd and 3rd bases safely. However, Na Gyun-ahn calmly resolved the crisis like an ace. At the end of a full count match, Kim Joo-won was induced with a ground ball to the third baseman, and the runner on third base was narrow-minded. It became 1 company 1st and 2nd base, and the follow-up Do Tae-hun was treated as a strikeout.
In the situation of 2nd 1st and 2nd base, Na Kyun-ahn welcomed Son Ah-seop. He was a teammate in the past, and he was once a roommate for a long time. In 2017, when they were on the postseason stage together in Lotte uniforms, they shared a home run ceremony together. The relationship was so special.
A match against Son Ah-seop would have been special for Na Kyun-an. Son A-seop transferred a 4-year, 6.4 billion won free agent contract with NC last year, and the confrontation between the two players after that was Na Kyun-an’s absolute strength. He was 0-for-6 with 2 RBI in 8 at-bats.
Na Kyun-an fought cautiously, but worked hard. After he caught a strike with a 134km forkball in the first pitch, his fastball in the second pitch headed high. Afterwards, he threw a fastball and curveball, but couldn’t cook it easily and headed for a full count. However, Kyun-an Na threw the final ball with a forkball and struck out on a swing. Son Ah-seop sighed, and Na Kyun-an roared more than ever, bringing the mood to the game. 먹튀검증
After the game, Na Kyun-an said, “Ah-seop hyung was a senior who took care of me a lot while being a roommate. So I think he was trying to focus more,” he said. And he said before the game, ‘I’m going to throw a pokeball,’ and he seems to have gone in well,” he laughs.