This is unbelievable! 'Koo Ja-wook excluded again + Lee Jae-hyun also removed' — Samsung and LG drastically overhaul LINEups → Park Seung-gyu, Sim Jae-hoon IN

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung Lions suffered another major blow for two consecutive days. The team's offensive cornerstone and captain, Koo Ja-wook, was once again left out of the starting LINEup for the second straight day, while regular shortstop Lee Jae-hyun was abruptly removed from the first-team roster.

Ahead of their season showdown against LG Twins at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 13th, Samsung made changes to its first-team roster by removing infielder Lee Jae-hyun and immediately registering Sim Jae-hoon.

With both a key batter and core shortstop absent, Samsung also significantly reshuffled its starting LINEup. For this game, the lineup was set as follows: Kim Ji-chan (center field), Kim Sung-yoon (right field), Park Seung-gyu (left field), Diaz (first base), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Kang Min-ho (catcher), Ryu Ji-hyuk (second base), Kim Young-woong (third base), and Sim Jae-hoon (shortstop).

Compared to the LINEup from the previous day (12th), Park Seung-gyu was suddenly placed at third spot as left fielder, filling an outfield position. Meanwhile, Sim Jae-hoon, who was registered on the first team today, will start immediately as the ninth batter and shortstop. The starting pitcher is Choi Won-tae.

Lee Jae-hyun's removal stems from injuries sustained the previous day. On the 12th, he started against LG as the second batter and shortstop but complained of neck pain after completing his at-bat in the bottom of the third inning and was replaced at the start of the top of the fourth. At the time, the team explained it was a precautionary substitution due to "stiffness on the right side of the neck." Notably, Lee Jae-hyun is scheduled to join the national team for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games opening on the 19th and will report for training on the 14th, which likely prompted the quick decision to remove him from the roster.

Adding to the trouble, "Captain" Koo Ja-wook was also excluded from the starting LINEup for two consecutive games. Before yesterday's game, he complained of acute back pain during warm-up training and was urgently removed from the lineup. Samsung manager Park Jin-man took a cautious stance, stating they needed to monitor his condition further, and ultimately could not include him in today's starting roster either.

On the mound, a showdown between Korean-born pitchers Choi Won-tae and Im Chan-kyu will take place. Choi Won-tae, Samsung's starter, has recorded 7 wins and 4 losses with an ERA of 4.37 in 21 games this season and is currently on a five-game winning streak since July. He also secured consecutive victories early this month: six innings allowing two runs against Lotte on the 2nd, and five innings allowing one run against KIA on the 8th. Against LG this season, he has pitched well with one loss in two games, posting an ERA of 1.50 over 12 innings (two earned runs).

Facing him is LG's starter Im Chan-kyu, who leads the league in wins with 13 victories and five losses across 25 games, sharing the top spot. However, against Samsung this season, he has struggled somewhat, appearing four times with one win, two losses, and an ERA of 7.08. In his last appearance on the 6th at Jamsil against Samsung, he allowed seven runs over 5⅓ innings and took the loss, so he is aiming for revenge after a week's rest.

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*This content was translated by AI.