'With' KIA's unpredictable lineup changes → 'Kim Do-young moved up to 3rd spot; 8-game, 5-home-run monster hitter Adeleman to bat 4th' [Gwangju]

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite winning the previous day (13th), the KIA Tigers did not keep their lineup unchanged and made adjustments. Most notably, they moved 'KBO League's best hitter' Kim Do-young up to the 3rd spot. They then placed Adeleman, the power hitter behind the '8 games, 5 home runs' feat, right after him, raising expectations among KIA fans.

KIA will face the Doosan Bears in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field at 6:30 p.m. on the 14th.

KIA lost 1-5 to Doosan on the 12th but won 9-2 the previous day, resetting the midweek series record to 1 win and 1 loss. Today's game will determine the winner of the series.

Both KIA and Doosan have records of 18 wins, 1 tie, and 20 losses, placing them jointly at 5th in the league.

KIA set its starting lineup as follows: Park Jae-hyun (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Adeleman (first baseman), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Yoon Do-hyun (second baseman), Han Seung-yeon (left fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Park Min (shortstop). Starting pitcher is Hwang Dong-ha.

The batting order was changed compared to the previous day. Park Sang-jun, who started as the 2nd hitter and first baseman the day before, was removed from the lineup. Instead, Kim Sun-bin, who batted 3rd the previous day, was moved to the 2nd spot. Kim Do-young and Adeleman were each moved up one spot in the order.

Additionally, Na Seong-beom, who hit a home run the previous day, was temporarily excluded from the starting lineup. Park Jae-hyun moved to right field, while Han Seung-yeon took over left field. The starting shortstop also changed from Kim Gyu-seong the previous day to Park Min today.

This batting order appears to be adjusted considering that Doosan's starting pitcher is left-handed Benjamin. Before the game, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho said, "I arranged the lineup so that hitters who hit well bat in order, hoping they get a chance to bat one more time. Benjamin's throwing angle is tricky, and his pitch selection against left-handed hitters is very difficult. I thought right-handed hitters would have an advantage, so I placed them accordingly. Once Benjamin is taken out, we can use left-handed hitters from that point on."

The manager continued, "I think the beginning of the game is quite important. Hwang Dong-ha's condition is good these days. We had been considering putting Kim Sun-bin in the 2nd spot for a while. He keeps getting interrupted at 2nd. Park Sang-jun performed well yesterday. Today, I moved him up so he can bat one more time."

KIA starter Hwang Dong-ha has appeared in 10 games this season, recording 3 wins, no losses, 1 hold, and an ERA of 5.02. Over 28⅔ innings, he allowed 30 hits (7 home runs), issued 11 walks, recorded 23 strikeouts, and gave up 17 runs (16 earned). His WHIP is 1.43, and his batting average against is 0.268. He has achieved two quality starts (6 innings or more with 3 or fewer earned runs).

Meanwhile, Doosan set its starting lineup against KIA as follows: Jung Soobin (center fielder), Son Ah-seop (designated hitter), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Cameron (right fielder), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Oh Myung-jin (first baseman), Park Ji-hoon (third baseman), and Park Chan-ho (shortstop). Son Ah-seop and Im Jong-seong were called up to the first team, while Lee Yu-chan and Hong Seong-ho were optioned down.

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*This content was translated by AI.