[Official] KIA's Bold Pitching Decision: Why Did They Start Shiraoka Instead of 12-Win Yang Hyeon-jong, Who Has a 7.71 ERA Against LG? Cornered LG Previews All-Out Effort with 'Wild Card Hero' Carlos Karasco

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

They did not use their best starting pitcher in the game where they could have ended the series quickest. With the KIA Tigers needing just one more win to advance to the Playoffs (PO) after a two-game winning streak, they made the unconventional choice to start Shiraoka Keisuke (25) instead of veteran Yang Hyeon-jong (38).

The KIA and LG Twins announced on the 20th that Shiraoka and Carlos Karasco (39), respectively, would be the starting pitchers for Game 3 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Junior Playoffs (Junior PO, best-of-five series) at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m.

It was an unexpected choice. The KIA won Game 1 on the 17th by a score of 5-1 and Game 2 on the 18th by a score of 6-3. In the history of best-of-five Junior PO series, the team that won both Games 1 and 2 advanced to the PO in seven out of nine instances, a rate of 77.8%.

A win in Game 3 would secure the club's first series victory in its history in the Junior PO, which it has reached for the first time in 15 years. Additionally, they could secure four days of rest before facing the Samsung Lions in the PO starting on the 25th.

However, the card Manager Lee pulled was not Yang Hyeon-jong. There is a significant difference in their regular season records. Yang Hyeon-jong posted a 12-6 record with a 4.19 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 124⅓ innings across 26 games this regular season. He also pitched well in the final regular season game against LG on the 12th, allowing one run over five innings, contributing to the team's confirmation of third place.

In contrast, Japanese Asian Option pitcher Shiraoka managed only a 4-5 record with a 4.75 ERA in 18 games this regular season. He showed inconsistency while working through 83⅓ innings, and this Game 3 will be his first appearance in the KBO League postseason.

Even more surprising is the head-to-head record. Shiraoka struggled against LG this year, going 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in two games. He allowed eight runs over 9⅓ innings and gave up as many as four home runs. In particular, Austin Dean (33) hit three for four (.750 batting average) with two home runs against Shiraoka. Park Dong-won (36) and Lee Jae-won (27) also hit home runs off Shiraoka.

In the game at Jamsil against LG on the 4th, Shiraoka wavered, allowing three runs over 3⅓ innings. Even though the LG lineup has been silent in this Junior PO, it is not a record that gives Shiraoka confidence to step up.

Nevertheless, behind KIA's decision to start Shiraoka lies a calculation considering the entire series. Karasco, whom LG announced as their starter, is essentially their last hope. Karasco, who has 112 career wins in Major League Baseball, marked a 6-3 record with a 4.05 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 60 innings across 11 games this regular season.

His recent form is also good. Karasco was the hero who led LG to the Junior PO by pitching well for six innings, allowing four hits and one run in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Doosan Bears on the 14th. Although he struggled with four runs allowed over 4⅓ innings in their first meeting this year at Jamsil on the 3rd, he proved his veteran-like game management skills in his first fall baseball appearance.

For KIA, there is no need to necessarily match up Karasco against Yang Hyeon-jong. If Shiraoka takes responsibility for more innings than expected, they can bet on winning as is; even if he wavers early, there is room to deploy the bullpen to work through the game.

Above all, KIA has a powerful lineup. This year, KIA led LG significantly in firepower with a team batting average of .271, 174 home runs, and an slugging percentage of .435, compared to LG's .264 batting average, 136 home runs, and .401 slugging percentage. In the Junior PO as well, they showed their hitting power with Kim Do-young's (23) multi-home run performance and four RBIs in Game 1, and five runs scored in the first inning of Game 2.

On the other hand, LG managed only four runs in the first two games of the Junior PO. In Game 2, starter Im Chan-gyu (34) was removed after allowing five runs in one-third of an inning, resulting in significant bullpen usage. Their starting rotation management after Karasco is also not comfortable.

In this postseason, which is essentially being run with a three-starter system, second starter Tolhurst was average in Game 1, allowing three runs (two earned) over five innings. Fourth starter Park Si-won (20) has recorded two scoreless games against KIA this year, but his time as a reliever was limited to just two innings, and he has never faced them as a starter. Kim Yun-sik (26), the last candidate for the starting rotation, has only pitched three games as a reliever against KIA this year with a 1.42 ERA over 6⅓ innings.

Even if KIA loses Game 3, they can start Yang Hyeon-jong in Game 4 at Jamsil on the 21st. If the series extends to Game 5 in Gwangju, James Neal (33), who pitched well for seven innings with one run allowed in Game 1 on the 17th, could reappear after a full five days of rest. Conversely, if they win Game 3 with Shiraoka and the bullpen, they can achieve the best result of ending the series without using up Yang Hyeon-jong.

The decision to start Shiraoka may be a choice that shows the leeway KIA has gained after securing two wins. The situations of KIA, which secured two wins first, and LG, which is eliminated with just one loss, are different. While LG pinned its last hope on Karasco, KIA can give Shiraoka a chance while preparing for the next contest.

Fans' attention is focused on Jamsil to see whether KIA's judgment to rest Yang Hyeon-jong will hasten their PO advancement or hand a counterattack opportunity to the cornered LG.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original