'Late-inning deployment' Hanwha's unconventional lineup, held back by 9 swing-and-miss strikeouts and Doosan's bullpen grit

*This content was translated by AI.

Hanwha Eagles showcased a radical lineup in their game against Doosan Bears at Seoul Jamsil Stadium on the 4th. They excluded all regular starters, including Feraza, Moon Hyun-bin, Kang Baek-ho, Lee Do-yoon, and Sim Woo-jun, from the starting lineup.

Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon (68) explained, "We wanted to give a chance to players who have worked hard and allow slightly underperforming players to regain their form by starting this game this way." He added, "Since games are no longer decided in the early innings, all players, including those left out, can appear in the later stages. We hope the players who started today will focus better and play well, and that their efforts will make the team stronger."

This decision was also seen as taking into account the situation of Doosan's bullpen. Doosan recently lost Yang Jae-hoon to injury, and on this day, Kim Jung-woo was also sidelined. Additionally, in the previous day's (3rd) game against Hanwha, where Park Shin-ji started as a substitute pitcher, the bullpen was heavily depleted, lasting until the 11th inning of extra innings.

Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung (54) said before the game, "Yesterday was a bullpen day, and we played extra innings, so everyone except Choi Ju-hyung appeared on the mound. We hope today's (4th) starter, Jacklog, can pitch at least 5 or 6 innings." In other words, Hanwha's lineup for the day appeared to be a sort of 'unconventional' tactic to deploy regular starters in the later innings to exploit Doosan's bullpen. Moreover, due to rain, the game was suspended and resumed twice, totaling 1 hour and 46 minutes of stoppage. As a result, the starting pitcher Jacklog threw only 60 pitches over 4 innings and was pulled early, forcing Doosan to activate their bullpen from the bottom of the 5th inning.

Hanwha, trailing 0-2, began deploying their regular starters in the bottom of the 6th inning after Oh Jae-won reached base with a bunt single to the third baseman off Choi Jun-ho. Lee Jin-young's pinch-hitter Moon Hyun-bin drew a walk, putting runners on first and second with no outs. When fourth hitter Noh Si-hwan struck out swinging, Feraza was brought in as a pinch-hitter for Yu Min. However, with two wild pitches creating a one-out, runners on second and third situation, Feraza also struck out swinging against Choi Jun-ho. Heo In-seo then returned to the plate against the new pitcher Park Chi-guk and struck out swinging on three pitches.

In the top of the 7th, a 'super catch' by the opposing pitcher occurred. Hanwha managed to cut the deficit to one run with a single to left field by leadoff hitter Kim Tae-yeon and a double to the right-field line by pinch-hitter Lee Do-yoon. Lee Won-seok struck out, leaving runners on first and third with one out. The next batter, Oh Jae-won, attempted a squeeze bunt on the first pitch. However, Park Chi-guk leaped to catch the low pop-up in front of the mound and threw to third base, forcing out Lee Do-yoon, who had already scored. It was a heroic defensive play that saved Doosan from an equalizing crisis.

Hanwha, trailing 1-3, had Noh Si-hwan and Feraza draw consecutive walks off Lee Byung-hun in the bottom of the 8th with one out, but Heo In-seo struck out and Kim Tae-yeon flew out to center field, failing to rally. In the top of the 9th, Lee Do-yoon, Sim Woo-jun, and Lee Won-seok all struck out swinging against Lee Yong-chan, ending the game in vain. All the Doosan relievers who appeared today (Choi Jun-ho, Park Chi-guk, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Yong-chan) had also pitched in the previous day's game.

Hanwha batters surrendered a total of 9 strikeouts to Doosan's bullpen pitchers starting from the 5th inning. All of them were swing-and-miss strikeouts. Ultimately, Hanwha's 'unconventional lineup' was completely shut down by Doosan's bullpen grit and strikeout display, failing to produce results.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.