"The batting cycle has hit rock bottom," Manager Park Jin-man said with a wry smile, volunteering for an early special report 40 minutes ahead of schedule. "I trust the batters... 'We could score all at once.'" [Jamsil On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man (50) offered a wry smile at his team's struggling offense, which has yet to come alive.

On the 25th, Samsung revealed its starting lineup for the away game against LG Twins at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

Samsung's lineup for the day featured Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Park Seung-kyu (right fielder), Koo Ja-wook (left fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Lewin Diaz (first baseman), Jeon Byeong-woo (third baseman), Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman), Kang Min-ho (catcher), and Yang Woo-hyun (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Ariel Jara.

Samsung's recent concern is a cold, lifeless bat. In June, the team's batting average stood at 0.241, ranking 8th in the league, while its on-base plus slugging (OPS) of 0.688 ranked 9th, placing them in the bottom tier. The day before (24th), they managed only four hits in Gyeonggi-do, losing 0-2 to LG, which recorded five hits.

As a result, Samsung batters arrived at the stadium about 40 minutes earlier than their usual training time to volunteer for special reports. In response, manager Park Jin-man noted that the players had taken the initiative voluntarily, smiling as he said, "They must know this themselves. The pitchers are holding their own, but the batters aren't able to support them. They likely came out of a sense of guilt."

Coincidentally, Samsung's starting pitcher for the day, Ariel Jara, is tied for last in the league in run support. Along with Yelvin Rodriguez of the Lotte Giants, Jara averages just 3.9 runs per nine innings. Despite a 14-game ERA of 2.86 and 88 innings with 57 strikeouts, his win-loss record stands at a mere 3 wins (1 loss).

Manager Park remarked, "Jara often doesn't get runs when he pitches, but conversely, the runs that haven't been scoring could all come at once today. There is a batting cycle, and this time the bad stretch has been a bit long. That seems to be making the players feel discouraged."

He added, "But once they explode, they can explode uncontrollably. This year, everyone is going through the batting cycle together, so they need to recover quickly."

In response, LG constructed its lineup with Cheon Seong-ho (third baseman), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (designated hitter), Song Chan-ui (right fielder), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Moon Sung-ju (left fielder), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Lee Jeong-yong.

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*This content was translated by AI.