157km, as the speed of the first pitch was displayed on the scoreboard, the spectators at Sajik Stadium exclaimed. Lotte's dugout manager, Kim Tae-hyung, felt the same way. He said, 'Wow~' with anticipation. However, his appearance in the first team after 294 days ended with disappointment.

In the Korea Professional Baseball league, Lotte Giants pitcher Yoon Sung-bin (25) took the mound as a starting pitcher against the LG Twins on the 20th at Sajik Stadium in Busan. Kim Tae-hyung, the Lotte manager, noted in a pre-game interview, 'Today, I'm actually looking forward to how Sung-bin will pitch. Walks are the key.'

In the first inning, Yoon Sung-bin pitched nine consecutive strikes against the first three batters. It was a beautiful performance. Against lead-off hitter Park Hae-min, he threw a 157km fastball for a strike, prompting cheers of 'Wow~' from the stands. The second pitch was a 156km fastball (strike). He struck out the third batter with a 157km fastball (swinging strike). Against Moon Sung-joo, he allowed a single to left field after throwing a 156km fastball (foul) for the first pitch, a 124km curveball (strike) for the second pitch, and a 146km forkball for the third pitch. He faced Kim Hyun-soo next, striking out on three pitches with a 156km fastball (strike), a 142km forkball (swinging strike), and a 143km forkball (swinging strike).

However, the following scene was something Lotte fans did not anticipate. After throwing a ball to Moon Bo-kyung with two outs and a runner on first, an issue occurred with Yoon Sung-bin's pitch comm, causing a brief interruption in the game. After three balls, another malfunction occurred. Eventually, the game was again briefly halted for the replacement of the pitch comm equipment.

Yoon walked Moon Bo-kyung for a straight walk. Oh Ji-hwan was hit by a pitch on the second ball (slider). With two outs and the bases loaded, during a battle with Song Chan-eui, he threw three consecutive balls for a walk that forced in a run with a favorable count of 1 ball and 2 strikes. Against Koo Bon-hyuk, he pitched to a full count and threw a 157km fastball, but allowed a two-RBI single. He ended the inning by getting Ham Chang-geon out on a 156km fastball which resulted in a fly out to right field. He allowed three runs in just the first inning.

The second inning was even worse. Facing ninth batter Lee Ju-heon, Yoon Sung-bin allowed walk-walk-hit (1 RBI)-walk-walk that forced in a run (1 RBI)-infield hit (1 RBI) without recording a single out and was replaced with the bases loaded. Relief pitcher Park Jin gave up a grand slam to Song Chan-eui, finishing Yoon's outing after 1 inning, 4 hits allowed, 6 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch, and 9 runs.

After the game on the 20th, Kim Tae-hyung said, 'When a 157km pitch is recorded, you get excited,' adding, 'I was thinking that if Yoon Sung-bin does well, we might go with two foreign hitters next year... It’s disappointing,' he said with a smile. Although it was somewhat of a joke, it showed the level of anticipation.

If Park Se-woong, Na Kyun-an, and Yoon Sung-bin become constants in the starting rotation, they could fill the positions with one foreign pitcher along with Kim Jin-wook, Han Hyun-hee, and Lee Min-seok. They could sign one foreign hitter with power to pair with Reyes, who boasts 202 hits and lacks a slugger in the Lotte lineup.

With two foreign hitters in the Lotte lineup, which boasts the highest team batting average, a formidable lineup is possible. If a 157km fireball pitcher secures a spot in the rotation, Kim Tae-hyung repeatedly mentioned Yoon Sung-bin's pitching, saying, 'What a shame. It's regrettable.'

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