"No room to spare": Even with a 5th-place finish in the 5.5G race, the manager warns of all-out effort; bullpen mobilized for four straight games... Doosan will fight until the end [Suwon field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"We've been pouring it out for four straight games now. There's no room to spare."

The Doosan Bears continue their all-out push toward autumn baseball. With only 14 regular-season games remaining, they hold a favorable 5th-place position, sitting 5.5 games ahead of the 6th-place team. Yet the manager remains vigilant and refuses to let his guard down.

On the 19th, Doosan will visit Suwon KT Wiz Park to face the league-leading KT Wiz in a regular-season matchup of the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League.

As of the conclusion of games on the 18th, Doosan stands at 65 wins, 5 draws, and 60 losses (winning percentage 0.520), placing them in 5th place. They trail 4th-place KIA Tigers (69-2-57) by 3.5 games but lead 6th-place NC Dinos (59-2-65) by 5.5 games. In their last 10 games, they recorded 4 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses.

Recent momentum has shown signs of revival. On the 13th, they defeated NC 9-2, and on the 16th, they beat Samsung Lions 3-1. However, in yesterday's game against the last-place Kiwoom Heroes, they failed to hold a 6-3 lead and ended in a 6-6 tie after 11 innings of extra time. Kim Taek-yeon surrendered a three-run tying home run to Park Chan-hyuk in the 8th inning, and Doosan missed their chances to win in both the 9th and 11th innings.

Kim Won-hyung (54), Doosan's manager, expressed greater regret over issuing a walk than allowing the home run itself. Speaking to reporters before the game, Manager Kim said, "I think it's possible to give up a home run. However, I'm disappointed that we recorded one out and then walked Matt Davidson." He added, "What matters most is that if you can pitch today, you must do so. We need to forget quickly and focus on today's game."

There is no room to rest the players. Manager Kim emphasized, "We've been pouring it out for four straight games now. Since there are scheduled off-days for the next game, we're deploying pitchers with the calculation of 'let's win this one.' There's no room to spare."

Closer Lee Young-ha also showed no physical issues today and could appear if needed. Ultimately, the best scenario is for starting pitcher Choi Seung-yong to shoulder as many innings as possible. This season, Choi has appeared in 22 starts with a record of 3 wins, 12 losses, an ERA of 5.92, pitched 103⅓ innings, and recorded only three quality starts (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs).

Manager Kim advised, "(Choi) Seung-yong likely feels pressure because he hasn't been able to deliver the performance he wants recently. Rather than worrying about other teams' situations or recent trends, I hope he focuses only on what he can do well based on his current condition."

In the lineup, veteran fourth-hitter Yang Eui-ji (39), who played through extra innings yesterday, was omitted from the starting lineup for rest purposes. Instead, Yuni Severino will bat as the designated hitter in the fourth spot. Manager Kim briefly commented on Severino, saying he is "adjusting to league pitches while maintaining his own swing."

Doosan's lineup today: Park Chan-ho (shortstop), An Jae-seok (third baseman), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Severino (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Kang Seung-ho (second baseman), Jung Soobin (center fielder), Kim Daehun (right fielder), and Kim Ki-yeon (catcher). Starting pitcher: Choi Seung-yong.

In response, KT's lineup was set as follows: Choi Won-jun (center fielder), Kim Min-hyuk (designated hitter), Ahn Hyun-min (right fielder), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop). Starting pitcher: Daniel Davis.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.