'Finally' a surprise return to the fourth spot in the lineup! The manager says, "I expected him to step up," as anticipation grows [Jamsil]

*This content was translated by AI.

Yang Ui-ji, the representative home-field queen of the Doosan Bears, has been suddenly placed in the fourth spot in the batting order.

Doosan will face the Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on the 5th for a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game.

Doosan has recorded 27 wins, 2 draws, and 28 losses this season, sitting in sixth place in the league. They have gone 2 wins and 1 draw in their last three games without a loss. The day before (on the 4th), they secured a 3-1 victory against Hanwha, riding a wave of momentum. In contrast, Kiwoom sits in 10th place with 21 wins, 1 draw, and 36 losses, currently on a two-game losing streak. They need a rebound through victory.

For today's game, Doosan set the starting lineup as follows: Jung Soobin (center field), Cameron (right field), Son Ah-seop (left field), Yang Ui-ji (designated hitter), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Oh Myung-jin (second baseman), Kim Ki-yeon (catcher), and Kang Seung-ho (first baseman). The starting pitcher is left-handed pitcher Choi Seung-yong.

Yang Ui-ji's placement in the fourth spot in the lineup stands out.

Yang Ui-ji has appeared in 54 games this season, recording a batting average of 0.239 (44 hits in 184 at-bats), 7 home runs, 27 RBIs, 17 runs scored, 20 walks, 11 hit-by-pitches, and 27 strikeouts. His slugging percentage is 0.391, on-base percentage is 0.342, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) is 0.733. Notably, he has shown an upward trend in his last 10 games with a batting average of 0.310. In his last six games, he recorded a hit in all but the two games against Hanwha.

Before the game, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung, the team's commander, said, "He has returned to his original spot in the lineup." He added, "I was worried for a while, but looking at the big picture, he was simply underperforming in the early stages compared to last year. I believed he would step up once he took the field," expressing his trust.

Meanwhile, facing Doosan, Kiwoom set their starting lineup as follows: Seo Geon-chang (second baseman), Ahn Chi-hong (first baseman), Hira (designated hitter), Lee Hyung-jong (left field), Im Byung-wook (center field), Park Chan-hyuk (right field), Yeo Dong-wook (third baseman), Kwon Hyuk-bin (shortstop), and Kim Geon-hee (catcher). The starting pitcher is right-handed pitcher Ha Young-min.

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*This content was translated by AI.