The much-anticipated 'fireballer' is ready for deployment.

Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung mentioned the upcoming week's starting rotation ahead of the game against the Samsung Lions on the 18th at Busan Sajik Stadium.

Lotte is currently in a situation where it needs to operate with a makeshift starting position. After releasing Charlie Barnes, they brought in new foreign pitcher Alex Gamboa, but a specific pitching schedule has yet to be established. Gamboa entered the country on the 17th, and due to it being the weekend, the employment visa issuance process has not yet been completed. The schedule is expected to be set once the employment visa is issued.

On that day, Gamboa threw bullpen sessions in front of the coaching staff. Kim Tae-hyung said, "It seems he needs to pitch in a 2nd team game once."

At once, the starting position for the next week is vacant. Lotte’s Han Hyun-hee served as a substitute starter in the game against KIA in Gwangju on the 14th, pitching 4⅓ innings with 5 hits, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, 5 strikeouts, and no runs. However, he was soon removed from the roster and will wait for another opportunity.

A player was needed to fill Han Hyun-hee's position, and Lotte selected Yoon Seong-bin as the substitute starter. Ahead of the game against Samsung on the 18th, Kim Tae-hyung noted, "Yoon Seong-bin will be pitching against LG." Yoon Seong-bin is scheduled to start on the 20th against LG at Sajik.

Yoon Seong-bin, a pitcher drafted first overall in 2017, was a promising fastball resource with interest even from Major League Baseball. However, entering his ninth year this season, he has yet to realize his potential and fully utilize his physical attributes. He still has unresolved military issues.

However, this season, he has shown meaningful results in the 2nd team. He has pitched in 6 games, recording 2 wins with an earned run average of 2.11 (5 earned runs in 21⅓ innings). Although he has 19 walks, which is still considerable, he struck out a total of 40 batters. The strikeouts per 9 innings reached an astounding 16.9.

Initially, it was planned to utilize him as a substitute starter during the 9-game series from late April to May 5, which includes Children's Day, but a slight back pain caused the pitching to be postponed. However, he pitched 3 innings with 6 strikeouts and no runs in a perfect outing against KT in the Futures League on the 14th. He recorded a top fastball of 156 km/h and an average of 154 km/h, catching the attention of Kim Tae-hyung.

Yoon Seong-bin's most recent first team appearance was against SSG in Incheon on July 30, 2024. He recorded 1 inning with 4 hits (including 1 home run), 2 walks, 1 strikeout, and 5 earned runs.

[OSEN]