[Sports Seoul | Kang Dong-hyun] "Our Lotte has changed."
It’s been just two games, but the turnaround is hard to miss. The pitching and hitting have started to click, and the team is riding the momentum of a spring-training frontrunner. Lotte opened the season with two straight wins over Samsung, a club many had listed among the favorites.
Fans winced through an offseason of off-field scandals and an away-game gambling controversy, but as manager Kim Tae-hyung noted, the team appears to have come through tougher and more united.
Busan is buzzing. The long, frustrating spring slump feels like it’s fading, and the city is suddenly dreaming about October baseball for the first time in nine years — and maybe more. There’s no rule against a surprise like last season’s Hanwha repeating itself.
-2026 KBO League stats
Elvin Rodriguez — 1 game, 0.00 ERA (5.0 innings, 0 runs), 1 win, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts, WHIP 1.40
Jeremy Bisley — 1 game, 0.00 ERA (5.0 innings, 1 run, 0 earned), 1 win, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, WHIP 0.60
Park Jeong-min — 2 games, 0.00 ERA (1.2 innings, 0 runs), 1 save, 2 strikeouts, WHIP 0.60
◇ The 'Robby' duo
If last year belonged to the "Ponwa" pairing, this season Lotte is counting on a new "Robby" duo to form a dominant foreign one-two punch.
Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss combined for 33 wins (17 and 16) last year, carrying underdog Hanwha all the way to the Korean Series. This season’s foreign signings — 28-year-old Elvin Rodriguez and 31-year-old Jeremy Bisley — started back-to-back in the opener against Samsung and delivered the two wins. Rodriguez threw five scoreless innings, and Bisley allowed one run in five innings (unearned), holding Samsung’s powerful lineup in check. Rodriguez’s heater reached 156 km/h (about 97 mph), while Bisley flashed a sharp sweeping breaking ball. The only blemish was Rodriguez’s five walks.
If those two starters stay consistent, Lotte’s first trip to postseason play in nine years suddenly looks very attainable.
◇ Rookie breakout
College rookie Park Jeong-min (23) made a memorable debut, announcing himself with a save.
He entered after closer Kim Won-joong faltered in the ninth of the opener. Park immediately gave up a double to Diaz and hit Jeon Byung-woo to load the bases with one out, but he battled back, striking out Kim Young-woong and Park Se-hyuk to shut the door. He established his presence with a 150 km/h (about 93 mph) fastball.
Manager Kim had touted Park as a potential breakout at media day. After 5.1 scoreless spring-training innings, Park earned a roster spot and had been held as a late-inning option. If he locks down a role in the late innings, Lotte’s bullpen — with Choi Jun-yong, Jeong Cheol-won and Kim Won-joong handling heavy workloads — will be that much stronger.
-2026 KBO League stats
Yun Dong-hee — 2 games, .444 average (9 at-bats, 4 hits), OPS 1.333, 1 home run, 2 RBIs
Noh Jin-hyuk — 2 games, .375 average (8 at-bats, 3 hits), OPS 1.250, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 1 error
Son Ho-young — 2 games, .300 average (10 at-bats, 3 hits), OPS 1.200, 2 home runs, 2 RBIs
◇ Power on the lineup
The lineup’s early pulse belongs to Yun Dong-hee (23). After leading spring training with a .429 average and a .541 on-base percentage, he opened the regular season with the team’s first homer and has become the emerging face of the “New Lotte.”
Veteran Noh Jin-hyuk (37) appears to be delivering in the final year of his four-year, 5 billion KRW (approximately 3,750,000 USD) free-agent deal. After a .280 spring, he’s started the season strong, hitting .375 with a homer and signaling a late-career resurgence.
Son Ho-young (32) looks like the 2024 version of himself, too. He hit back-to-back homers in the second game against Samsung — proof of a winter spent sharpening his outfield defense to extend his role. With Han Dong-hee sidelined by injury, Son has taken over at third base and is producing.
Over two days, Lotte launched seven homers, an emphatic statement from last season’s home-run cellar-dweller (88 homers).
dhkang@sportsseoul.com
