"Guo Bin once, Choi Min-seok up to twice, Park Jun-soon as DH" The Golden Trio Returns: Manager Kim Won-hyung's Usage Plan [Jamsil On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

"(Guo) Bin cannot pitch twice. (Choi) Min-seok seems to be able to go up to two appearances."

Manager Kim Won-hyung (54) of Doosan revealed his plan for utilizing the "trio" who returned with gold medals around their necks. He conveyed his intention to do his best to secure the team's qualification for the postseason without overworking them.

Ahead of the home game against the NC Dinos in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League, scheduled for the 29th at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Manager Kim Won-hyung met with reporters and said, "Min-seok and Bin pitched on days one day apart, but Bin threw in the final match, a situation that carried a bit more pressure." He added, "I thought that after the tension eased somewhat, they would need some time to recover."

With only nine games remaining until the end of the regular season, Doosan leads sixth-place NC by six games. A comeback is realistically difficult. They can also be said to have effectively secured fifth place, as they are five games ahead of fourth-place KIA Tigers.

Nevertheless, it means they will not let their guard down until the very end. However, it would be a burden to have Guo Bin pitch more than once, while Choi Min-seok could potentially make up to two appearances.

To play the remaining season with more ease, securing fifth place is the priority. Therefore, the three-game series against NC, which offers an opportunity to pull further ahead, is crucial. A three-game winning streak would widen the gap to nine games, but a three-game losing streak could narrow the difference to just three games.

Manager Kim emphasized, "Of course, we are in a favorable position, but this three-game series is one where we absolutely must not become complacent. We are paying close attention to that aspect."

Even if the situation becomes urgent, it should be considered impossible for Choi Min-seok and Guo Bin to pitch against NC. Choi Min-seok threw 96 pitches over seven innings in the match against China on the 26th. Although Japan is not a long distance away, considering travel fatigue from flights and various activities, a starting appearance after four days of rest is realistically difficult.

Since it is a time when they must plan for both the remaining season and the postseason, their heads can only be more troubled.

For Choi Min-seok, who is tied for first place in wins, this might be welcome news. However, Manager Kim said, "(Choi) Min-seok doesn't seem to pay attention to such things. He has returned to his team, and (5th place) is not yet confirmed." He explained, "We need to check Min-seok's condition today and tomorrow. Since he himself has not expressed any major issues with his condition, we plan to proceed according to the normal schedule. We need to check Bin's physical condition a bit more carefully."

Park Jun-soon will start immediately in today's game as the third-bat designated hitter. He played in all six games of the Asian Games, soaring with a .500 batting average (9 hits in 18 at-bats), one home run, six RBIs, six runs scored, an on-base percentage of .550, a slugging percentage of .889, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.439. He set a record for hits in every game, ranking first in hits and runs scored within the national team, and second in RBIs.

Despite this, he was immediately inserted into the game. Doosan set its starting lineup as Park Chan-ho (shortstop) - Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman) - Park Jun-soon (designated hitter) - Yang Eui-ji (catcher) - Kim Min-seok (left fielder) - Kang Seung-ho (second baseman) - Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman) - Jo Su-haeng (right fielder) - Jeong Soo-bin (center fielder). The starting pitcher is Wes Benjamin.

Manager Kim said, "I was thinking of using him as a pinch hitter from the back of the lineup for just today, but the position coaches said it would be fine. Kang Seung-ho also needs to play in games, and (Yang) Seok-hwan is in today's lineup, so we decided to let him rest from defense for just one day and have him enter as a designated hitter."

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

*This content was translated by AI.