The atmosphere is the postseason. He looks as if he is playing a single game amid a desperate crisis. The team that has to continue its hope of advancing to the postseason and the team that is seeking to recapture third place will clash at Jamsilbeol. It’s not a pathetic thing, but the atmosphere of the training before the game was also tense.
KIA and Doosan met at Jamsil Stadium on the 13th. KIA with three games left and Doosan, which has to play five more games, must win to achieve their goal. Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “We are entering the middle of the eight consecutive games. “I lost the first two games, but I think it’s meaningful that I won the game yesterday (12th) thanks to the explosion of the lineup and changed the atmosphere.” “You have to play every game as if it’s the last one,” he said. I can’t afford to think about the back,” he said.
Kim Jae-hwan, who has swelling in his hand, is on standby as a pinch hitter, but he will be in the best lineup. Jung Soo-bin and Cho Ha-haeng were in the table setters, and Jose Rojas took the lead in clean-up as designated hitters. Yang Eui-ji and Yang Seok-hwan take the center in the fourth and fifth batting order, while Kim In-tae, who has a long shot, replaces Kim Jae-hwan as the sixth batter and left fielder.
After that, the three infielders, including Kang Seung-ho, Kim Jae-ho, and Huh Kyung-min, will be placed side by side to greet KIA starter Kim Gun-guk. Kwak Bin, who couldn’t play in any games due to right rib pain at the Asian Games, will return. Coach Lee said, “I will make you throw as far as you can,” adding, “The slight pain remains, but considering (Kwak) Bin’s condition, I have set the date of the mound as today (13th), so I expect him to take responsibility.”
KIA manager Kim Jong-kook was a little more determined. “I came (to Jamsil) with the mindset that it is the final game of the season,” said head coach Kim, who said, “I have to play desperately with the feeling of standing at the edge of the cliff.” The players will all know it,” he stressed. If KIA loses the game, it will fail to advance to the postseason. However, if they win all the remaining games, they can face a different situation depending on the outcome of NC Doosan SSG’s game.
In particular, the last two games are against NC, so it is important to sound the victory in the final match of the season against Doosan.
Choi Hyung-woo and Na Sung-bum failed, but KIA also fought back with the best lineup within the available range. Kim Do-young and Ko Jong-wook were placed in the first and second positions, while Kim Sun-bin, Socrates Brito and Lee Woo-sung were grouped into cleanups. Coach Kim said, “Kim Sun-bin, Socrates, and Lee Woo-sung are the hitters who give expectations when they have a scoring opportunity. He showed his confidence, saying, “The long-distance power may be lower (than when Choi Hyung-woo or Sung-beom is present), but the scoring productivity is not bad.”
Kim Tae-gun was named in the sixth batting order as the so-called Joker, while Byun Woo-hyuk, Kim Ho-ryeong and Kim Kyu-sung were in the seventh to eighth batting order. It seems to be a batting order that takes into account the ability to perform long shots, mobility, and operations.