'Five-game losing streak': Doosan's manager takes direct action before the game. "How can I explain this inexplicable hitting slump?" Why was Yang Ui-ji left out of the starting lineup? [Incheon field report]

*This content was translated by AI.

With escaping the losing streak as an urgent priority, Doosan Bears' manager took direct action by holding a team meeting to reinforce their resolve. Additionally, veteran catcher Yang Ui-ji was excluded from the starting lineup.

Doosan will face SSG Landers in an away regular-season game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League at Incheon's SSG Landers Field on the 6th at 5 p.m.

Doosan has recorded 61 wins, 57 losses, and 4 draws this season, placing them fifth in the league standings alone. However, they have recently fallen into a five-game losing streak, putting them in a difficult situation. A rebound through today's victory is urgently needed.

Doosan set their starting batting order as follows: Park Chan-ho (shortstop), An Jae-seok (third baseman), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Severino (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Jung Soobin (center fielder), Kim Ki-yeon (catcher), and Kim Daehun (right fielder). The starting pitcher is Jacklog.

Yang Ui-ji was excluded from the starting lineup.

Before the game, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung explained the reason for Yang Ui-ji's exclusion by stating, "He was hit by his own batted ball yesterday and is unable to play today."

The manager further commented on the team's overall hitting slump during the losing streak: "There were no major issues in terms of hitting over the five games this week. There were no errors or head-first plays in defense. However, an inexplicable hitting slump has persisted throughout the week, so we held a brief team meeting before the game."

He added, "This week was truly difficult. Today is the final game of the week. Therefore, I conveyed only this message: 'Don't let the mood sink too low. At times like these, you must clearly understand what needs to be done on the field and step into the batter's box with that mindset. Do not lose confidence; I hope you play confidently today as well.' I also expressed my wish for this week to pass quickly."

Doosan's starting pitcher Jacklog has appeared in 24 games this season, recording a record of 6 wins and 7 losses with an ERA of 3.96. Over a total of 131⅔ innings, he allowed 145 hits (including 15 home runs), issued 25 walks, recorded 115 strikeouts, and gave up 68 runs (58 earned). His WHIP stands at 1.29, and his batting average against is 0.274. He has achieved 11 quality starts (starting pitcher pitching six innings or more while allowing three or fewer earned runs).

Against SSG this season, he was strong in two games with a record of 2 wins and no losses, posting an ERA of 0.79. In 11⅓ innings, he allowed 11 hits, issued 2 walks, hit one batter, recorded 11 strikeouts, and gave up only 1 run (1 earned).

Meanwhile, SSG set their starting lineup as follows: Jeong Jun-jae (second baseman), An Sang-hyun (shortstop), Guillermo Heredia (left fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Jeon Ui-san (first baseman), Lee Ji-young (catcher), Chae Hyun-woo (center fielder), Im Geun-woo (right fielder), and Kim Joseph (third baseman). The starting pitcher is right-handed pitcher Choi Min-jun.

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*This content was translated by AI.