"We've paid our dues." AG National Team's Five-Game Winning Streak Duo Moon Bo-kyung and Kim Young-woo Ready to Debut the Day After Their Return! A Godsend for LG in the Late-Stage Race for Third Place [Incheon On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Moon Bo-kyung (26) and Kim Young-woo (21), who returned with gold medals around their necks, will lend their strength to the LG Twins' late-stage race for position.

LG Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58) smiled when speaking to reporters ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season away game against the SSG Landers, scheduled for the 29th at Incheon SSG Landers Field, saying about the players who returned from the Asian Games, "They went and got plenty of rest, didn't they? (Moon) Bo-kyung said his defense is fine, so he will start."

Moon Bo-kyung appeared in all six games at this year's 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, recording a .294 batting average (5 hits in 17 at-bats), one home run, five RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 0.958.

He was somewhat quiet until the Super Round, but he truly showed his presence in the crucial final against Japan. Including a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the eighth inning while South Korea led 2-1, he reached base four times with two hits in three at-bats, two walks, and one RBI. He demonstrated the presence of a national team fourth batter at the most critical moment.

What LG welcomes even more is his defense. There had been concerns about whether Moon Bo-kyung could handle defensive duties due to his physical condition before joining the national team, but he successfully handled defense in three of the six games in this tournament. Just as the manager was giving an interview, Moon Bo-kyung passed by with a shy smile, and Manager Yeom said, "He's paid his dues," boosting his morale significantly.

Despite ups and downs for LG this season, Moon Bo-kyung steadfastly fulfilled his role as a central hitter. He recorded a .252 batting average (80 hits in 318 at-bats), nine home runs, and 56 RBIs in 97 regular season games. In particular, he was strong with runners in scoring position, posting a .314 batting average. This explains why his closer instincts shown in the Asian Games final are not unfamiliar.

Power pitcher prospect Kim Young-woo also returned with a gold medal. He delivered a perfect pitching performance by striking out two batters over one inning in the group stage against Hong Kong, and recorded an ERA of 5.40 while throwing 1⅔ innings across two games in this tournament.

He is a young bullpen resource who handled 43⅓ innings in 49 games for LG this season, recording three wins, no losses, five holds, and an ERA of 4.36. However, Manager Yeom has no intention of overusing him immediately after his return. When asked about the possibility of Kim Young-woo pitching that day, Manager Yeom joked lightly, "Is there a situation where he would go? There shouldn't be."

The return of both players is also welcome for LG. As of the 27th, LG holds third place with a record of 75 wins, one draw, and 57 losses. Although they are on an upward trend with seven wins and three losses in their last 10 games, after suffering two consecutive losses recently, it has become important to both maintain the gap from fourth-place KIA Tigers and deal with the pursuit by second-place Samsung Lions. They trail second-place Samsung by four games and lead fourth-place KIA by two games.

It was disappointing that their game against Gwangju KIA on the 27th, where they led 2-0 through the bottom of the fourth inning, was declared a no-game due to rain cancellation. However, Manager Yeom smiled bitterly, saying, "There is nothing we can do. It is the will of heaven. It is not something I can control."

Meanwhile, LG lined up its batting order with Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Moon Jung-bin (designated hitter), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Anders Tolhurst.

In response, SSG arranged its batting order with Park Sung-han (shortstop), Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Guillermo Heredia (left fielder), Jeon Eui-san (first baseman), Go Myung-jun (third baseman), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Lee Ji-young (catcher), Kim Jung-min (right fielder), and Ahn Sang-hyeon (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Pedro Avila.

Before the game, outfielder Ham Chang-geon, infielder Choo Se-hyun, and pitcher Lee Jong-jun were removed from the first division roster, while Hong Chang-ki returned along with the national team duo of Moon Bo-kyung and Kim Young-woo. Hong Chang-ki had been removed from the first division roster on the 21st due to lower back muscle pain but returned that day. The only remaining first division resource yet to return is closer Kim Jin-seong (41), who has been out since last month due to shoulder pain. They will face Avila, who has emerged as a league ace in the second half of the season, with a lineup close to full strength.

Manager Yeom said, "(Kim) Jin-seong will also be back soon. He pitched in yesterday's practice game," adding, "Avila's pitching is so powerful that it seems important for us to stop him well."

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*This content was translated by AI.