'With' KIA reserve FA 'fantastic' Novaund Boosal! Manager's praise → Why was the 'former closer' deployed despite trailing in the 9th inning? "It could have been unpleasant..." [Gwangju Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho praised outfielder Kim Ho-ryeong's fantastic assist regarding his status as a 'reserve free agent (FA)' that emerged the previous day (12th). He also explained the reason for deploying Jung Hae-young, who had previously served as a 'former closer,' in a situation where KIA was trailing by two runs in the 9th inning.

Manager Lee reviewed the previous day's game situation ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game against Doosan Bears, scheduled for 5 p.m. on the 13th at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

Manager Lee first praised Kim Ho-ryeong's fantastic boosal (assist). The previous day, KIA was trailing 1-2 in the top of the 5th inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, Kim allowed a hit to the left-center gap from Son Ah-seop. The runner on second base was Cameron. At that moment, KIA center fielder Kim Ho-ryeong made a fantastic no-bounce throw to home plate after fielding the ball, getting Cameron out. This was a stellar defensive play that prevented the momentum from shifting significantly in Doosan's favor.

Manager Lee said, "(Kim) Ho-ryeong has frequently shown plays in the past where he catches runners at home with a no-bounce throw as a center fielder. I believe he also prevented a big score yesterday," offering high praise.

Following that, Manager Lee immediately turned his attention to the 9th inning. In the top of the 9th, KIA was trailing 2-4 by two runs, yet they made a strategic move by removing Kim Beom-su and bringing in Jung Hae-young. This was a gamble to deploy a member of the victory lineup rather than the chase lineup. The calculation was to hold the 9th inning scoreless in the top half and then launch a counterattack in the bottom half.

Manager Lee explained, "That's why I brought (Jung) Hae-young up in the 9th as well. I wanted to preserve Lee Young-ha and continue the game. Also, Hae-young had only pitched once this week. The pitching coach said Hae-young didn't have to be brought up, but we wanted to create a situation where we could somehow turn things around."

He continued, "It seems all these thoughts and feelings have now come together. In a situation like yesterday's, if Hae-young had come up and pitched, he might have felt unpleasant, but he played with a completely positive mindset without any such issues. I think we need to create a situation where we can break the losing streak today (13th) and climb back up."

Meanwhile, on this day, KIA constructed its starting lineup in the following order: Kim Min-kyu (left fielder), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Do-young (designated hitter), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Byun Woo-hyeok (third baseman), Hwang Dae-in (first baseman), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Park Min (shortstop). The starting pitcher was James Neal.

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*This content was translated by AI.