'Remaining' Son Ah-seop Bench-' Ahn Chi-hong No. 2 D Kiwoom 2026 KBO opener Who will laugh? [the site of a war]

*This content was translated by AI.

The joys and sorrows of the veteran duo who worked together at Hanwha Eagles were mixed. Ahn Chi-hong (36), who transferred to the Kiwoom Heroes through the second draft, will be the starter, and Son Ah-seop (38, Hanwha), who remained at 100 million won a year after labor after qualifying as a free agent (FA), will start on the bench first.

Hanwha and Kiwoom will clash in the opening game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon from 2 p.m. on the 28th.

Hanwha, which advanced to the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years last year, had an overwhelming advantage against Kiwoom with 14 wins and 2 losses, but it cannot be let down because it is the opening game.

Since the days of Nexen, the predecessor of Kiwoom, they have faced each other three times in the opening game, all because Hanwha lost. I think it will be different this time. He drew the growth of many players last year and is strengthening his will to win because it is the first opening game at home in 18 years. Park Chan-ho, the "Korean Express," was invited as the first pitchman for the opening game.

Hanwha set up the starting lineup with Oh Jae-won (center fielder), Jonathan Ferraza (right wing), Moon Hyun-bin (left wing), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Chae Eun-sung (first baseman), Ha Joo-seok (second baseman), Choi Jae-hoon (captor), and Shim Woo-jun (striker). The starting pitcher is Wilkel Hernandez.

The change in the lineup stands out. Kang Baek-ho, who was hired as a free agent (FA) for four years and 10 billion won, Peraza, who returned after two years, and rookie Oh Jae-won, who will fill the leadoff and center field holes, were all in the lineup. It is expected to be a game that can determine how much Hernandez can fill the gap between Cody Ponce (Toronto) and Ryan Weiss (Houston), who became major leaguers side by side.

Kiwoom, which won against Hanwha in the opening game, also burns its will to win. The Kiwoom will face Lee Ju-hyung (center fielder), An Chi-hong (designated hitter), Trenton Brooks (first baseman), Choi Joo-hwan (third baseman), Eo Jun-seo (striker), Kim Gun-hee (catcher), Lim Ji-yeol (left fielder), Park Han-gyeol (second baseman), and Lee Hyung-jong (right fielder). The starting pitcher is Raul Alcanta.

What stands out is Ahn Chi-hong, foreign hitter Brooks, rookie Park Hang-yeol, and Lee Hyung-jong, who has barely played in the past two years.

Coach Seol Jong-jin said before the game, "The player I look forward to is An Chi-hong. I saw a pretty good performance in the exhibition game. He said, "I'm looking forward to it because I'm doing well in the lineup."

An Chi-hong, who signed a contract with Hanwha for up to 7.2 billion won for 4+2 years in 2023, hit .300 in his first year, but remained at .172 in 66 games last year and moved to Kiwoom without being among the 35 protected players. As he batted .341 (14 hits in 41 at-bats) with two home runs, 10 RBIs and seven runs in 10 exhibition games, he raised expectations that he would play a key role in the lineup. Since the opening game, he/she has met his/her former team and his/her eyes are more focused.

Son, on the other hand, starts on the bench. Manager Kim Kyung-moon acknowledged Son Ah-seop's batting ability, but put Kang Baek-ho in the designated hitter position in the starting lineup. In reality, it will be difficult to get many opportunities, and attention is focusing on whether he will be able to play as a substitute in the match during the game. Son Ah-seop also showed off his strong batting performance in exhibition games with a batting average of 0.385 (five hits in 13 at-bats).

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*This content was translated by AI.