'This trade was truly a divine move.' Doosan Bears finally on track to reclaim KBO League No. 1 record with 'another cleanup trio' starting lineup! [Jamsil on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

It is a perfect revival. If this continues, there is a high probability that he will secure a regular starting position for the remainder of this season. This is the story of Doosan Bears' switch-hitter Son Ah-seop (38), who has recently regained his form.

Doosan will face the NC Dinos in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on the 21st.

Doosan holds a record of 21 wins, 1 tie, and 22 losses, currently sitting alone in 6th place in the league. Riding a three-game winning streak, they are just one win away from reaching a .500 winning percentage.

Aiming for a four-game winning streak today, Doosan has set its starting lineup as follows: Jung Soobin (center field), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Son Ah-seop (designated hitter), Cameron (right field), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Min-seok (left field), Kang Seung-ho (first baseman), Oh Myung-jin (second baseman), and Park Ji-hoon (third baseman). The starting pitcher is Wes Benjamin.

In response, NC has arranged its starting batting order as follows: Kim Ju-won (shortstop), Kwon Hee-dong (left field), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Davison (first baseman), Lee Woo-seong (designated hitter), Park Geon-woo (right field), Han Seok-hyun (center field), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), and Kim Han-byul (third baseman). The starting pitcher is Toda.

Doosan is riding a winning momentum after securing a decisive 9-3 victory over NC in the first game of their midweek three-game series on the 19th. After taking a day off on the 20th due to rain cancellation, they will use the same starting lineup today as they did in the game on the 19th.

Son Ah-seop's placement in the cleanup trio stands out. Son joined Doosan on April 14 via a trade. At that time, Doosan received Son Ah-seop in exchange for sending pitcher Lee Gyo-hoon and 150 million won in cash to the Hanwha Eagles.

However, after donning the Doosan uniform, he struggled to find his form, with his batting average hovering in the .100 range. Eventually, he was notified to report to the minor league. Yet, he did not give up and shed even more sweat in the minor leagues.

And ahead of the Gwangju KIA Tigers game on the 14th, he was registered in the first-division roster. Since his call-up, he has shown strong performance over five games: 7 hits in 20 at-bats, 3 RBIs, 2 runs scored, and 3 walks. In particular, Son Ah-seop has stood out for his persistent selection of pitches at every plate appearance, tormenting opposing pitchers.

Son Ah-seop was previously the all-time hits leader in KBO League history until earlier this season. However, while he was temporarily away from the first division, Samsung Lions veteran Choi Hyung-woo took over the record. As of the previous day, Son Ah-seop had 2,629 hits, while Choi Hyung-woo had 2,638 hits, nine more than Son. If Son Ah-seop continues to perform well and secures a regular starting spot, the battle for the all-time hits record is expected to remain neck-and-neck. What kind of performance will Son Ah-seop deliver today?

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*This content was translated by AI.