From a promising catcher who left a batting average of 10 and 2 pennies, he transformed into an ace who runs first in the most wins alone. Is there another life reversal story like this in the history of Lotte?
Na Gyun-an (24), who started the season as Lotte’s second starter this year and became a de facto ace, was a catcher, not a pitcher, when he was nominated by Lotte in the first round of the 2017 KBO draft. He received attention as the master of the house who will lead Lotte’s future, but the reality was not easy. In 2017, he only played 5 games in the 1st team, and as Kang Min-ho left as a free agent, he was given the opportunity to play 106 games in the 1st team in 2018, but the result was a batting average of .124, 2 home runs and 11 RBIs. Even in 2019, his growth was slow with a batting average of .124 with 3 homers and 13 RBI.
His career batting average as a catcher was just .메이저사이트123. But he didn’t hesitate any longer. Throwing the odds of a baseball life turning into a pitcher, he pitched in 23 games in 2021, threw 1 win, 2 losses, 1 save, 1 hold, and threw the possibility with an average ERA of 6.41. With a 2-hold average ERA of 3.98, it has established itself as a new successful case of pitcher conversion.
Competing for the 5th starter spot in this year’s spring camp, he reserved a spot early with his pitching one step ahead of his competitors, and as his condition literally rose, he became the main character of the ‘extraordinary promotion’ as the opening 2nd starter.
Lotte’s eyes were accurate. On the 2nd, his first appearance of the season, against Doosan in Jamsil, Na Kyun-an gave Lotte his first win of the season with a good pitch with 5 hits and no runs in 6⅔ innings, and also against Sajik KT on the 9th, striking out 8 in 7 innings and pitching well with 4 hits and no runs, sweeping the team. He succeeded in rescuing him from danger.
Now, it seems that the formula that Na Kyun-an’s pitching will soon be Lotte’s victory has been established. On the 15th against Samsung in Daegu, Na Kyun-an was once again named the winning pitcher, leaving 6 hits and 3 runs in 5 innings, and showed off her spirit by becoming the solo leader in the multi-win category with her 3rd win of the season.
Na Kyun-an’s strength is, of course, pinpoint control. He pitches like he’s playing with the strike zone. However, he is not a pitcher with poor pitches. He threw 18⅔ innings this year and did not hit a single home run. He is also a pitcher who is far from home runs by nature. Last year, he allowed just five homers in 117⅔innings. In addition, he has the ability to strike out when needed while allowing few walks.
Although he barely filled 5 innings in the match against Samsung, it was also a game where his ability to manage crises stood out. A starting pitcher who plays a full-time season usually pitches in more than 30 games, and he cannot pitch perfectly in every game. Therefore, when he is not in good condition or when a crisis comes, how much he minimizes the number of runs is often the factor that separates the difference between a top-notch starting pitcher. Na Kyun-an minimized the number of runs against Samsung, which led to Lotte’s victory. In a situation where ‘Ace’ Dan Strayley is struggling with 3 losses, the appearance of Na Kyun-ahn can be said to be like a flash of light.