'Ahn Hyeon-min and Kim Sang-soo OUT' KT on the brink, makes major lineup changes! Kwon Dong-jin, Kim Min-hyuk, and Ryu Hyun-in IN [KS5 On-site]

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The KT Wiz made significant adjustments to their starting lineup ahead of the decisive Game 5 of the Korea Series. They made the decision to exclude Ahn Hyeon-min, Kim Sang-soo, and Jang Jun-won from the starting lineup.

Trailing 1-3 in the series and facing a critical situation, KT announced its starting lineup ahead of Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (best-of-seven format) against the Samsung Lions, which will be held on the 8th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

Facing Samsung's starter Won Tae-in, KT arranged its starting lineup in the following order: Choi Won-jun (designated hitter), Jang Jin-hyuk (right fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Hillyard (center fielder), Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder), Ryu Hyun-in (second baseman), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). The starting pitcher is Daniel.

In fact, up through Game 3 of this Korea Series, KT was truly a "sick bay." Starting with Kim Hyun-soo's finger injury in Game 1, followed by Kim Sang-soo's heel pain, Choi Won-jun's thumb collision injury and Heo Kyung-min's left chest pleurisy symptoms in Game 2, and Ahn Hyeon-min's ankle pain during defense in Game 3, key position players fell one after another. As a result, the lineup cooled rapidly in Game 3, leading to a 1-5 loss, which dealt a significant blow to the overall flow of the series.

Ultimately, the KT bench drew its sword for Game 5. Ahn Hyeon-min, who had started as the third batter and right fielder in Game 4, and second baseman Kim Sang-soo were both excluded from the starting roster, while Jang Jun-won, who had been playing shortstop in the lower part of the lineup, also returned to the bench.

The vacant spots will be filled by new faces. Kim Min-hyuk returns as the fifth batter and left fielder to support the heart of the order, while Ryu Hyun-in starts at second base in the sixth spot and Kwon Dong-jin makes a surprise start at shortstop in the ninth spot. Additionally, Kim Hyun-soo, who batted fifth in Game 4, moves up to the third spot to form the core of the lineup with Hillyard in the fourth spot, while Jang Jin-hyuk, who moved from left field to right field, takes charge of the top of the order alongside Choi Won-jun.

Attention is now on whether KT, which has no more room to retreat, can rekindle the spark of a counterattack through this major lineup overhaul.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original