"Samsung's batting lineup is tricky" Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, who was wary of the Lion Corps, is also a strong candidate for LG, who scored 'eight points in an inning' as a backup

*This content was translated by AI.

The LG Twins showed powerful firepower in the exhibition game, raising expectations for a real match against the Samsung Lions.

LG lost 10-13 to the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO exhibition game held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 23rd.

It was a slugfest in which the two teams exchanged a total of 23 hits. The white rice was given eight points each in the seventh inning. LG allowed eight runs in the top of the seventh inning when Kim Jin-sung, a must-win group, collapsed after being hit by Choi Joo-hwan's direct hit in the middle of the bases loaded with no outs.

However, he paid it back literally in the seventh inning. Park Dong-won hit against No. 1 rookie Park Joon-hyun, Koo Bon-hyuk and Lee Jae-won made the bases loaded with walks and created the atmosphere with Chun Sung-ho's one-run timely hit.

Since then, backup players have shown off their hot firepower. Choi Won-young made a timely RBI single to the left, Lee Young-bin drew a walk to push, and Song Chan-eui hit a grand slam at the first pitch. Subsequently, as Kang Min-kyun, who has three-digit back numbers, drew a back-to-back arch, the score gap was returned to one point. It didn't lead to victory. However, he scored eight runs in one inning as backup players, raising expectations for a firepower match against Samsung this season.

One of the things to see in the 2026 season is the firepower match between Samsung and LG. Last year's championship team, LG, won the league with strong firepower, ranking first in the team batting average league (0.278), third in homers (130 homers), and second in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) (0.770). Samsung also dominated the league with the second batting average (0.271), the first home run (161 home runs), and the first OPS (0.780), and was evaluated as the No. 1 offensive player by experts as Choi Hyung-woo (43), the designated hitter of the Golden Glove, joined the team this winter.

Before the game, LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58) explained in detail why Samsung's batting lineup is called the strongest in the league. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "The strongest Samsung lineup is not just that it is good, but that it is diverse. "It's tricky because there are some running batters, some powerful batters, and some accurate batters," he said.

"What has improved for Samsung is that there have been various ways to score points compared to last year. Baseball doesn't always fit well, so hitting home runs doesn't mean it's just about hitting home runs. "There are hitters such as Choi Hyung-woo and Koo Ja-wook who are not easily struck out and contact each other, so they can take one or two points even when they don't fit," he added.

He also compared it to LG hitters. Manager Yeom said, "Three strikeouts don't help anything in baseball. With one out and third base and no outs, the team with many strikeouts and no outs is different. There are hitters in every team who can strike out well. We also have Park Dong-won and Oh Ji-hwan," he said. At the same time, he said, "(Like Choi Hyung-woo and Koo Ja-wook), we also have some strikeouts except for three players, Moon Sung-joo, Hong Chang-ki and Austin. However, he stressed that the number is smaller than that of other team hitters.

Coincidentally, LG's batters proved in the game why they are a strong team after the head coach's remarks. Kiwoom It was the first time that young pitchers were shaken, but LG hitters did not forget their calmness even when they lost by nine points. And it was positive in that most of them were young players who would start at the backup.

Koo Bon-hyuk and Lee Jae-won walked, and Chun Sung-ho and Choi Won-young hit timely hits. Lee Young-bin, who will start with the second and third backups, calmly waited for four balls even with the bases loaded, and Song Chan-eui drew the bases loaded with his swing. The unknown Kang Min-gyun, who hit his first home run in the first team after his professional debut, is a bonus.

LG had a one-point victory over the Lion Corps, which was originally called the strongest in the league, on the previous day (22nd). This is why the twin squads are also tough this year.

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*This content was translated by AI.