*This content was translated by AI.
KIA Tigers, riding a wave of momentum, made bold lineup adjustments in pursuit of a six-game winning streak.
On the 21st, ahead of their away game against Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, for the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League,' KIA unveiled its starting lineup.
For this game, KIA set its starting lineup as follows: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Ha Ju-seok (shortstop), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Castro (designated hitter), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Oh Seon-woo (first baseman), Han Jun-soo (catcher), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder).
The most notable change is Ha Ju-seok's move up to the second spot in the batting order. Compared to the previous game against Hanwha on the 20th, there were major adjustments to both the batting order and defensive positions. Kim Do-young, who started as a designated hitter in the Hanwha game on the 20th, has returned to third base defense. Castro, who had played first base, moved to the fourth spot as a designated hitter to focus solely on hitting. Veteran Kim Sun-bin, who batted second, dropped to sixth and will anchor the lower part of the lineup, while Oh Seon-woo earned a new starting opportunity at first base in the seventh spot.
Starting pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong will take the mound. This season, Yang has appeared in 20 games with an 8-6 record and a 4.33 ERA. As of the 20th, he had pitched 95⅔ innings this season, needing just 4⅓ more to achieve his 13th consecutive season with over 100 innings, a personal milestone. If he can pitch through five innings with one out in today's (21st) start against Kiwoom Heroes, he will tie the KBO League record for the longest consecutive seasons with 100+ innings—13 seasons—set by Song Jin-woo (former Hanwha Eagles pitcher, 1994–2006 seasons).
Moreover, Yang Hyeon-jong has shown strong performance against Kiwoom this season. In three previous matchups, he went 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA, which is far from poor. Although his ERA was slightly high, he secured the wins, raising expectations for continued success in the winning streak.
As KIA continues its unstoppable winning run, it remains to be seen whether they can achieve six consecutive victories by making bold lineup changes and relying on strong pitching from starting pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong.
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*This content was translated by AI.
