'Choi Hyeong-woo remains on the bench' Samsung makes sudden fine-tuning to batting order for PO Game 1! 'Park Seung-gyu moves up to 5th spot, Kang Min-ho drops to 6th'

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Samsung Lions, who gained an extra day due to a rain delay, made minor adjustments to their lineup for Playoffs Game 1. Instead of veteran catcher Kang Min-ho, outfielder Park Seung-gyu was moved up to the fifth spot in the batting order, adding weight to the connection within the lineup. The setup with 'closer' Choi Hyeong-woo (43) waiting on the bench and 'captain' Koo Ja-yuk (33) starting as designated hitter remains unchanged.

Samsung will face the KIA Tigers in Playoffs Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason (best-of-five series) at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 26th.

With the game pushed back by a day due to rain on the previous day (the 25th), Samsung made changes to the batting order supporting the core of their lineup.

On this day, Samsung set its starting lineup as Kim Ji-chan (center fielder) - Kim Seong-yun (right fielder) - Koo Ja-yuk (designated hitter) - Lewin Diaz (first baseman) - Park Seung-gyu (left fielder) - Kang Min-ho (catcher) - Kim Young-woong (third baseman) - Lee Jae-hyeon (shortstop) - Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman). They swapped the previously announced order of 5th batter Kang Min-ho and 6th batter Park Seung-gyu, placing Park Seung-gyu immediately behind the cleanup trio.

Choi Hyeong-woo's exclusion from the starting lineup remains in effect. With the judgment that Koo Ja-yuk, returning from a hamstring injury, is not yet able to handle outfield defense at 100%, he will start as designated hitter first, while Choi Hyeong-woo waits on the bench as a pinch-hitter option.

Manager Park Jin-man explained in an interview on the 26th regarding the batting order swap between Park Seung-gyu and Kang Min-ho, "It is the result of consulting with the power analysis team after finishing practice yesterday (the 25th)."

Samsung Manager Park Jin-man had previously stated, "There is a big difference in whether (Koo) Ja-yuk is in the batting order or not. There is no problem at all with his hitting, and he can run to some extent, but we will let him focus solely on hitting." He added, "Considering the importance of defense as well, Ja-yuk will play designated hitter, and Park Seung-gyu, who is doing well in the outfield, will be used as left fielder."

Choi Hyeong-woo prepares to make his move as a 'pinch-hitter joker' at crucial moments. Manager Park stated, "If we are trailing and he comes in as a pinch hitter in a situation where we need to chase, I might send him out to defend because it would be a waste to end it with just one at-bat. Conversely, if we are leading, we will use another player to strengthen the defense," hinting at usage tailored to the flow of the game.

Meanwhile, with closer Kim Jae-yoon out due to injury, the bullpen plans to deploy all available pitchers according to the game situation and the opposing batting order, without being bound by specific roles.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original