As promised, he is seeking redemption through baseball for the fans, but luck is not on his side. Will the winless pitcher of Lotte, who has 0 wins, be able to taste his first victory after seven attempts and eight challenges?

The Lotte Giants of the Korea Professional Baseball are preparing for their fourth matchup of the season against the KT Wiz in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, which will take place on the 9th at Suwon KT Wiz Park. This is the first game of a weekend three-game series.

The meeting between 3rd place Lotte and 5th place KT. The ranking difference is just two steps, but the recent momentum contrasts greatly. Lotte, after losing 1 game to the SSG Landers in the Children's Day series held at home, achieved a winning series with two consecutive wins, while KT unexpectedly suffered a sweep loss to the lower-ranked NC Dinos at home. Currently, Lotte, on a two-game winning streak, has a season record of 22 wins, 1 tie, and 16 losses, sitting in 3rd place, while KT, having lost three consecutive games, has a record of 18 wins, 2 ties, and 18 losses, sitting in 5th place. The gap between the two teams is 3 games.

The two teams first met from March 28 to 30 at Sajik Baseball Stadium. They shared one victory each on the 28th and 29th, while the game on the 30th ended in a dramatic 4-4 tie after 11 extra innings. Lotte's substitute, Jeong Hoon, dramatically tied the game with a two-out double in the bottom of the 9th after falling behind 2-3. KT regained the lead with a sacrifice fly from Heo Kyung-min in the top of the 11th, but Lotte equalized once more with a one-run infield single by Han Tae-yang in the bottom of the 11th, resulting in no winner.

Lotte has announced right-handed pitcher Na Gyeon-an as the starter for their three-game winning streak. Na's season record stands at 7 games with no wins and 1 loss, recording an earned run average of 3.00. Despite a stellar performance in his last appearance on the 2nd against NC, going 6⅓ innings while allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts without giving up a run, he did not earn the victory. Lotte was ahead 2-0, but in the top of the 8th, Jeong Cheol-won, Jeong Hyun-soo, and Kim Won-jung allowed 3 runs, causing the winning condition to evaporate. The final result was a 4-3 victory for Lotte, and Kim Tae-hyung, Lotte's manager, apologized after the game, saying, "I'm sorry for Na Gyeon-an, who has not had good luck."

Last year, Na Gyeon-an, who suffered from personal controversies, promised during spring training that he would seek redemption through baseball for the fans, and he is now a significant part of the Giants' starting rotation this year. However, as the stats show, Na Gyeon-an's wins in 7 games remain 'zero.' He had several strong performances, with 5⅓ innings allowing 2 earned runs against Hanwha Eagles on April 3, 6 innings allowing 3 earned runs against KIA Tigers on the 9th, and 5⅓ innings allowing 1 earned run against Samsung Lions on the 20th, but has not been able to secure a victory.

This year, it is his first start against KT, with a record from last year showing 2 wins and no losses over 3 games with an earned run average of 5.84, although his stats at Wiz Park over 2 games is a poor 1 win and no losses with an earned run average of 7.11.

In response, KT deployed their ace, Koh Young Technology. Koh's season record stands at 7 games with 2 wins and 2 losses, with an earned run average of 2.22. In his last outing on the 2nd against the Kiwoom Heroes in Suwon, he struggled with 6 innings of 16 hits, 2 walks, and 5 earned runs (3 earned runs), resulting in a loss. He has been in a streak of six consecutive quality starts but encountered bad luck with losses in his last two games. This year against Lotte, he only managed to go 6 innings with 2 earned runs, resulting in no decision on March 30 at Sajik.

The variable is the weather. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, rain is forecasted from the morning of the day until the early morning of the 10th in Jowon-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, where Wiz Park is located. If the game is canceled, a doubleheader will be held at the same location on the 10th.

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