*This content was translated by AI.
SSG Landers will line up again on the 1st to avenge their previous day's loss against Lotte Giants.
SSG will face Lotte at Incheon SSG Landers Field at 2 p.m. on the 2nd for a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game. The game was scheduled as the only 2 p.m. match among five games after being selected for nationwide broadcast on SBS TV.
SSG swallowed their disappointment after losing 7-10 to Lotte in a fierce battle that went into extra innings of the 10th inning the previous day. Their record for the season stands at 17 wins and 11 losses, holding sole third place in the league. Meanwhile, Lotte is on a two-game winning streak with a record of 10 wins, 1 draw, and 17 losses, placing them at the bottom of the league standings.
For today's game, SSG set their starting lineup in the following order: Park Sung-han (shortstop), Jung Jun-jae (second baseman), Choi Jeong (third baseman), Heredia (left fielder), Han Yu-seom (designated hitter), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Oh Tae-gon (first baseman), Choi Jun-woo (right fielder), and Jo Hyung-woo (catcher). The starting pitcher is Benigiano.
Benigiano has made five starts this season, recording two losses without a win and an ERA of 6.38. Over a total of 24 innings, he has allowed 34 hits (including 3 home runs), issued 9 walks, recorded 16 strikeouts, and surrendered 20 runs (17 earned runs). His WHIP stands at 1.79, and his batting average against is 0.337.
He has faced Lotte once this season. On May 5th, he pitched 5 innings, allowing 8 hits (including 1 home run), issuing 2 walks, recording 4 strikeouts, and giving up 3 runs (3 earned runs), leaving the mound without a decision.
Before today's game, SSG manager Lee Sung-yong met with reporters regarding Benigiano's expected long outing. "This is the most critical situation," he said. "I believe he is aware of this (the bullpen situation) himself. Therefore, I expect him to perform well. It is also time for him to step up," expressing his high expectations.
In response, Lotte set their batting order as follows: Jang Du-seong (center fielder), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Reyes (left fielder), Yu Gangnam (designated hitter), Kim Min-seong (first baseman), Park Seung-wook (third baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Son Seong-bin (catcher), and Han Tae-yang (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Na Gyun-an.
Meanwhile, today's game also reached a sellout. All 23,000 seats were sold out. With this, SSG successfully attracted a full house for the fourth time this season, following the opening two-game series (the 28-29 vs. KIA Tigers) and the previous day's game against Lotte Giants (May 1).
This weekend's three-game series features the successful 'Starbucks Day' collaboration event with Koo Dan (CEO). SSG is providing special experiences for fans visiting the ballpark this weekend through an eco-friendly coffee trailer and a large Bearista photo zone at Frontier Square, along with various in- and out-of-stadium events.
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*This content was translated by AI.
