'With' KIA Today (13th) Major lineup changes vs. Doosan → Why did the 'unknown first baseman' make a surprise start? The manager explained the reason directly [Gwangju on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

The KIA Tigers, who have fallen into a two-game losing streak, made significant changes to their lineup.

KIA will play a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game against the Doosan Bears at 6:30 p.m. today (13th) at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

KIA lost 1-5 to Doosan the previous day (12th), dropping the first of three midweek games. They aim to bounce back with a win today. KIA sits in a tie for sixth place with 17 wins, 1 draw, and 20 losses, alongside the Hanwha Eagles. Meanwhile, Doosan holds sole fifth place with 18 wins, 1 draw, and 19 losses, one game ahead of KIA.

For today's game, KIA set its starting lineup in the following order: Park Jae-hyun (left field), Park Sang-jun (first base), Kim Seon-bin (second base), Kim Do-young (third base), Adellin (designated hitter), Na Sung-beom (right field), Kim Ho-ryeong (center field), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Kyu-sung (shortstop). The starting pitcher is the 'veteran' Yang Hyeon-jong.

Compared to the previous day, Kim Ho-ryeong, who was batting second, moved down to the seventh spot. Instead, Park Sang-jun was suddenly placed in the second spot. Additionally, Yoon Do-hyun, who made his return from injury the previous day, was initially excluded from the starting lineup. The catcher position changed from Han Jun-su to Kim Tae-gun, and Kim Kyu-sung took the starting opportunity at shortstop instead of Park Min, who played the previous day.

Before today's game, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho, the team's commander, explained, "(Park) Sang-jun will play in today's game. Only the shortstop and catcher positions have changed. I think about the lineup that can win every single day. Sang-jun has good abilities against right-handed pitchers. I was also considering moving (Kim) Seon-bin's spot up one, but for now, I arranged the lineup to place Sang-jun and Jae-hyun at the front, leading into the core." Today, Doosan will start with right-handed pitcher Choi Jun-ho.

Park Sang-jun, who was selected as a development player by KIA in 2022 and signed a formal contract this year, is still a player close to being unknown. A left-handed pitcher and left-handed batter infielder who graduated from Seokgyo Elementary, Seongwang Middle, Seongwang High, and Gangneung Yeongdong University. He has appeared in 11 games this season, recording a batting average of 0.250 (28 at-bats, 7 hits), 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 4 runs scored, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts, a slugging percentage of 0.321, an on-base percentage of 0.400, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.721. Against left-handed pitchers this season, he managed only 8 at-bats with no hits, but showed strong performance against right-handed pitchers with 19 at-bats, 6 hits (0.316), and 4 walks.

Furthermore, regarding Kim Ho-ryeong, who is currently struggling with a batting average of 0.128 over the last 10 games despite a season batting average of 0.255, 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.722, Manager Lee said, "That is why I placed him in the lower part of the lineup today. I would like him to feel brighter, but when batters' conditions are not good and the bat isn't connecting well, everything becomes unappealing. Psychologically, they need to manage themselves well to quickly escape a slump. If it deepens, it can last longer. I keep telling him about this part."

He continued, "As for (Kim) Ho-ryeong, he is fast on his feet, and when his condition is good, I believe it would be better for the team if he bats second. That is why I kept him in the upper part of the lineup. However, for now, I think he should stay in the lower part of the lineup for a while. Once his balance improves, we may need to adjust the timing and change it. For now, building up his condition from the bottom is the first priority," he emphasized.

Yang Hyeon-jong has started 7 games this season, recording 2 wins, 3 losses, and an ERA of 4.81. Over 33 2/3 innings, he allowed 35 hits (5 home runs), issued 16 walks, recorded 26 strikeouts, and gave up 21 runs (18 earned), with a WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.51 and a batting average against of 0.259. Against Doosan this season, he started once on the 19th of last month, pitching 4 2/3 innings, allowing 8 hits (1 home run), issuing 1 walk, striking out 3, and giving up 4 runs (4 earned), taking the burden of a loss.

Meanwhile, in response, Doosan set its starting lineup in the following order: Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Park Ji-hoon (third base), Park Jun-soon (second base), Cameron (right field), Yang Eui-ji (designated hitter), Kang Seung-ho (first base), Jung Soobin (center field), Yoon Jun-ho (catcher), and Lee Yu-chan (left field).

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*This content was translated by AI.