KIA made changes to its starting lineup for today (the 18th)! Leadoff hitter and catcher swapped; Park Jung-woo, who had been sidelined with cold symptoms, makes a surprise return. Kim Gyu-sung is out, and Kim Sun-bin takes over second base [Playoffs Game 2 On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The KIA Tigers have revealed their starting lineup for Game 2 of the Wild Card Series (best-of-five) against the LG Twins.

KIA will face the LG in Game 2 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Wild Card Series at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field at 2 p.m. on the 18th.

KIA finished the regular season in third place to secure an early berth in the Wild Card Series. After resting for four days following their final regular-season game against LG on the 12th, they played their first postseason match of the year against LG.

KIA took the lead from Game 1. The team defeated LG 5-1 in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series yesterday (the 17th).

Most notably, Kim Do-young’s performance shone. In the bottom of the fourth inning, with the teams tied 1-1 and no runners on base, Kim Do-young came to bat. He crushed a first-pitch fastball (149 km/h) thrown inside by LG starter Tolerhurst, launching a solo home run over the left-field fence. It was the moment KIA took a 2-1 lead.

Kim Do-young’s strong play continued. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with KIA leading 2-1 and runners on first and third bases with no outs, LG replaced starter Tolerhurst with Woo Kang-hoon. Against Woo, Kim hit a sacrifice fly to right field to add another run.

It did not end there. In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the team leading 3-1 and a runner on first base with two outs, Kim Do-young faced LG reliever Jang Hyun-seok. After a full-count at-bat, he attacked a sixth-pitch forkball (133 km/h) down the middle, driving a two-run home run over the center-field fence. It was the go-ahead homer that extended the lead to 5-1.

And ahead of Game 2 of the Wild Card Series today, KIA announced its starting lineup.

Today, KIA’s starting lineup is as follows: Park Jung-woo (right fielder), Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Castro (first baseman), Na Seung-beom (designated hitter), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Han Jun-su (catcher), Ha Ju-seok (shortstop), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder). Adam Ottavino is the starting pitcher.

Compared to yesterday, it stands out that Park Jung-woo, who had been left off the starting roster due to cold symptoms, returns as the leadoff hitter. Park was placed in right field, a position previously occupied by Na Seung-beom. Following him, Park Jae-hyun enters the batting order in the second spot instead of Kim Sun-bin. The cleanup trio consisting of Kim Do-young, Castro, and Na Seung-beom remains unchanged. Kim Gyu-sung, who started yesterday, is out, with Kim Sun-bin taking over at second base. The starting catcher also changed from Kim Tae-gun to Han Jun-su.

Ottavino has served as KIA’s ace this year. In 30 appearances this season, he posted an 11-10 record with a 3.13 ERA. Pitching a total of 178 innings, he allowed 130 hits (14 home runs), issued 62 walks, struck out 180 batters, and gave up 66 runs (62 earned). His WHIP was 1.08, and his opponents’ batting average against him was .204. He recorded 19 quality starts (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs allowed).

Against LG this season, he appeared in five games, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.40 ERA. Over a total of 30 innings, he allowed 21 hits (3 home runs), issued 12 walks, hit one batter, struck out 31 batters, and gave up 8 runs (8 earned). His opponents’ batting average against him was .198.

Meanwhile, LG will counter with “domestic ace” Lim Chan-gyu as their starter. Lim appeared in 31 games this season, marking a 15-7 record with a 4.46 ERA. Over a total of 169⅔ innings, he allowed 187 hits (13 home runs), issued 41 walks, struck out 102 batters, and gave up 86 runs (84 earned). His WHIP was 1.34, and his opponents’ batting average against him was .282. He recorded 13 quality starts. Against KIA this year, he appeared in two games, recording a loss with no wins and a 6.23 ERA. Over 8⅔ innings, he allowed 11 hits (2 home runs), hit one batter, struck out 4 batters, and gave up 6 runs (6 earned). His opponents’ batting average against him was .306.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original