KIA, Kim Ho-ryeong suddenly placed at leadoff: 'Kim Seon-bin bats second, Park Jae-hyun ninth' — Why? The manager's explanation... Today (28th) Doosan game starting lineup announcement [Jamsil on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers, who suffered two consecutive losses in the three-game series against Doosan Bears, must avoid a sweep at all costs. The team made another slight adjustment to its starting lineup.

KIA will face Doosan at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium at 5 p.m. on the 28th in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

After losing 2-3 to Doosan on the 26th and then 1-8 the following day (27th), KIA maintains a record of 41 wins, 1 tie, and 35 losses, holding fourth place. The gap between KIA and fifth-place Doosan has narrowed from 3.5 games to 2.5 games.

For today's game, KIA set its starting lineup as follows: Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Seon-bin (second baseman), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Castro (designated hitter), Han Jun-soo (catcher), Yoon Do-hyun (first baseman), Park Min (shortstop), and Park Jae-hyun (left fielder). Kim Tae-hyung will start on the mound.

Compared to the previous day, Park Jae-hyun, who was batting second, has been moved down to the ninth spot. The first baseman has also changed from Won Woo-hyuk to Yoon Do-hyun. Han Jun-soo replaces Kim Tae-gun as the starting catcher.

KIA manager Lee Beom-ho, the team's commander, explained the batting order before the game: "(Park) Jae-hyun has shown weakness against left-handed pitchers, so we placed a right-handed hitter earlier in the lineup. Also, (Kim) Seon-bin has performed well against Doosan's starting pitcher Choi Seung-yong. Additionally, it is statistically more likely that (Kim) Do-young and (Na) Sung-beom will set up more runners ahead, so we placed Seon-bin at second."

Park Jae-hyun has recorded a batting average of 0.261 against left-handed pitchers and 0.296 against right-handed pitchers this season. Meanwhile, Kim Seon-bin has a 2-for-4 (0.500) average against Choi Seung-yong, while Park Jae-hyun has a 2-for-5 (0.400) average against the same pitcher this season.

Meanwhile, Doosan set its starting lineup as follows against KIA: Jeong Soobin (center fielder), Ryu Seung-min (right fielder), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Yoon Jun-ho (catcher), and Park Sung-jae (first baseman). Choi Seung-yong will start on the mound for Doosan.

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*This content was translated by AI.