and '156km Explosion!' KBO Debut Victory vs. KIA → Victory vs. Lotte → Challenge for Unbeaten Streak + 3-Game Winning Streak! Doosan Starting Lineup Announced [Incheon Field Report]

*This content was translated by AI.

SSG Landers has announced its starting lineup for the first of three midweek home games against Doosan Bears.

SSG will face Doosan in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 28th at 6 p.m.

SSG has recorded 36 wins, 4 draws, and 56 losses this season, placing them ninth in the league. Notably, they are on an upward trend with four wins and one draw in their last five games. After defeating Lotte Giants on the 22nd and 23 to finish the three-game series against Lotte with two wins and one loss, they achieved a winning series with two wins and one draw in their three-game series against NC over the weekend.

For today's game, SSG set its starting lineup as follows: Jung Jun-jae (second baseman), Park Sung-han (shortstop), Madris (left fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Jeon Ui-san (first baseman), Jo Hyung-woo (catcher), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Im Geun-woo (right fielder), and Ahn Sang-hyun (third baseman). The starting pitcher is Pedro Avila, known as the '156km fireballer.' Doosan's starter will be Wes Benjamin.

Avila has shown excellent performance this season with two wins in two games and an ERA of 2.25. On the 16th, during his KBO debut against KIA Tigers, he pitched six innings allowing three hits and striking out eight batters without conceding a run, earning the win. Then on the 22nd against Lotte, he delivered another strong outing with six innings, four hits allowed, six strikeouts, and three earned runs, securing his second win of the season. Today, he aims for a third consecutive victory.

Avila is the new foreign pitcher signed by SSG, announced on the 8th. He signed a contract worth a total of $400,000 (base salary $380,000 and option fee $20,000).

At the time of signing, SSG stated: "Avila, with a sturdy physique standing 180 cm tall and weighing 95 kg, possesses a powerful fastball averaging over 150 km/h and reaching up to 156 km/h. Utilizing various breaking balls such as cutter, changeup, curveball, and splitter, he is a pitcher capable of strategically pressuring opponents." They further explained: "After comprehensively evaluating his rich experience as a starter, ability to handle innings steadily, and recent track record of active appearances, we determined him to be the optimal resource to strengthen our current starting rotation."

Avila, originally from Venezuela, joined the Washington Nationals in 2014 and made his Major League debut with the San Diego Padres in 2019. Over 72 career MLB games, he pitched 146⅓ innings, recording 8 wins, 4 losses, one hold, one save, and an ERA of 3.51. In the minor leagues, he started 145 out of 189 games, pitching a total of 742⅔ innings. Last year, he played for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), appearing in 15 games over 82⅓ innings with 7 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 4.04. This season, he started 13 out of 15 games for a Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, pitching 60 innings.

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*This content was translated by AI.