'Kim Do-young in the 3rd spot, Castro in the 4th — no changes!' KIA, aiming for a two-game sweep, will close out the series at Jamsil with Shirakawa on the mound [Playoff Semifinals Game 3 On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The KIA Tigers, who need just one more win to advance to the Playoffs (PO) after securing a two-game lead, have revealed their starting lineup for an attempt to end the series at Jamsil. While maintaining their core batting order featuring Kim Do-young (23), Harold Castro (33), and Na Seung-beom (37), they are looking forward to a strong performance from starting pitcher Keisuke Shirakawa (25).

KIA will face the LG Twins in Game 3 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs Semifinals (best-of-five series) at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on the 20th.

The momentum clearly favors KIA. After winning Game 1 in Gwangju on the 17th by a score of 5-1, they also took Game 2 on the 18th with a 6-3 victory. A win today will secure their advancement to the PO, where the second-place Samsung Lions await.

This is particularly a historic challenge for KIA. Including their predecessor, the Haitai Tigers, they have claimed the championship in the Korea Series (KS) on 12 occasions. However, in the Playoffs Semifinals, they have never advanced to the next round in their four previous attempts. Their all-time record in the Playoffs Semifinals prior to this series was 2 wins and 9 losses.

However, this year is different. After a fierce battle for third place with LG at the end of the regular season, they secured the third spot with a record of 79 wins, 2 draws, and 63 losses (winning percentage 0.556). They also led in their head-to-head record during the regular season with 9 wins and 7 losses. Although they trailed LG 2-7 in the first nine games, they reversed the trend by winning all of the subsequent seven games.

Including the Playoffs Semifinals, KIA is on a nine-game winning streak against LG. Today, KIA set their batting order as Park Jeong-woo (center fielder) - Park Jae-hyun (left fielder) - Kim Do-young (third baseman) - Harold Castro (first baseman) - Na Seung-beom (right fielder) - Kim Sun-bin (designated hitter) - Han Jun-su (catcher) - Kim Gyu-seong (second baseman) - Ha Ju-seok (shortstop). The starting pitcher is Shirakawa.

Compared to the previous Game 2, there are changes in defensive positioning. Park Jeong-woo moved from right field to center field, and Na Seung-beom will play right field instead of designated hitter. Kim Sun-bin will serve as the designated hitter rather than playing second base. Kim Gyu-seong returns to second base, while Kim Ho-ryeong was excluded from the starting lineup.

On the other hand, the core batting order of 3rd through 5th spots featuring Kim Do-young, Castro, and Na Seung-beom remains the same as in Game 2. The most reliable player is undoubtedly Kim Do-young. Kim Do-young, who won the home run championship with 45 home runs in this season's regular season, recorded two home runs and four RBIs in the previous Game 1, including a go-ahead solo shot and a decisive two-run homer. In Game 2 as well, KIA took an early lead by scoring five runs in just the first inning. Not only did the power of the core lineup stand out, but so did the connection between the top and bottom of the order.

Instead of Yang Hyeon-jong (38), who had 12 wins in the regular season, Shirakawa was named the starting pitcher. Shirakawa recorded a 4-5 record with an ERA of 4.75 in 18 games during this season's regular season. Specifically against LG, he managed only one loss without a win in two games, with an ERA of 7.71. He struggled significantly, allowing four home runs over 9⅓ innings.

In contrast, LG starter Carlos Karasuko (39) earned the win in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Doosan Bears on the 14th, pitching six innings and allowing one run. He is a veteran whom LG is placing their hopes in again at a critical juncture. For KIA, if Shirakawa can hold his own, they can end the series with their lineup and bullpen. Even if they lose Game 3, there is room to utilize Yang Hyeon-jong and James Neal (33) from Game 4 onwards.

Facing them, LG set their batting order as Park Hae-min (center fielder) - Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop) - Austin Dean (designated hitter) - Song Chan-ui (left fielder) - Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman) - Moon Jeong-bin (first baseman) - Moon Sung-ju (right fielder) - Park Dong-won (catcher) - Gu Bon-hyeok (second baseman).

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original