“I have confidence in the ball I throw.”
Kyun-an Na was selected by the Lotte Giants with the 3rd pick in the 2nd 1st round of the 2017 draft. Na Kyun-an’s position at the time was catcher. However, he did not perform well as a catcher. In the 2017 season, 5 games, 4 at-bats, no hits, 2 strikeouts, 2018 season, 106 games, 22 hits, 2 homers, 11 RBIs, a batting average of 0.124 OPS 0.376, and 2019 season 104 games, 23 hits, 3 homers, 13 RBIs, a batting average of 0.124 OPS 0.383.
Na Kyun-an turned into a pitcher from the 2020 season. After spending one season in the 2nd team, he recorded an average ERA of 6.41 in 2021 season, 23 games, 1 win, 2 losses, 1 hold, 1 save, 46⅓ innings, 36 runs (33 earned runs). In the 2022 season, he recorded an average ERA of 3.98 in 39 games, 3 wins, 8 losses, 2 holds, 117⅔ innings, 55 runs (52 earned runs). Since August, he has consistently played his role as a starting pitcher.메이저사이트
At the beginning of this season, Na Kyun-an’s momentum is unusual. Na Kyun-an has appeared in 3 games and is recording 3 wins, 18⅔ innings, 3 runs (3 ERA), and an average ERA of 1.45. In three games, he allowed six walks and struck out 16.
Yoo Kang-nam, who is in sync with Na Gyun-an, said after the Daegu Samsung Lions match on the 15th, “(Na Gyun-an’s 3 consecutive wins) is absolutely not a coincidence. The effect of the four-seam fastball got better with the installation of . I think it’s good to have three pitches with high perfection, including curveball, fork, and cutter.”
Regarding the difference between Kyun-an Na from last season and Kyun-an Na this season, Lotte coach Larry Sutton said, “Kyun-an Na continues to grow. I also gained confidence,” he said. “After two or three turns in the batting order, he uses various ball combinations to deal with batters. It is because he is confident in the ball he throws.
Coach Sutton expressed his wish that all players, including Na Kyun-ahn, would finish the season without injury. He said, “I hope that all players, not just Na Kyun-an, will finish the season without injury. I hope that they will be healthier at the end of the season than at the beginning of the season. I hope all players fight hard every day with what they have. Whether it is or not, I hope you always do your best.”
At the beginning of this season, Lotte foreign pitchers are sluggish. Dan Strayley had an average ERA of 5.74 with 12 runs (10 ERA) in 3 games, 2 losses and 15⅔ innings, and Charlie Barnes had an ERA of 10.80 with 12 runs (12 ERA) in 2 games, 1 loss and 10 innings. In this situation, the performance of Na Kyun-an, who was responsible for 3 out of 5 wins for the team, is bound to be welcomed by Lotte.