Korea Professional Baseball KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho sent a strong message to the player heading to the second team.
KIA Tigers will face the LG Twins in the first match of the season on the 4th at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. There were changes to the first team roster that day. Infielder Hong Jong-pyo was sent down to the second team, and pitcher Kim Gun-guk was registered to the first team.
In a pre-game interview, manager Lee Beom-ho delivered a heavy message regarding the roster changes. He explained, "With 13 pitchers, there were originally 14. I was thinking of making changes tomorrow when (Park) Chan-ho comes in, but after seeing how we played yesterday, I felt that things didn’t look good. Everyone is working hard during this difficult time, and I wanted to communicate that to the players. I hope that during tough times, we can all support each other and work harder, but it was disappointing to see that we weren’t able to do so, so I made the change. After today's game, we will need to swap one pitcher and one fielder, so I will bring up a pitcher quickly to utilize the bullpen as much as possible during the game."
Hong Jong-pyo's removal from the first team was a disciplinary action sending him to the second team. Hong Jong-pyo started at second base the previous day but recorded no hits in three at-bats. The error that led to a score in the 9th inning was made by shortstop Kim Kyu-sung, but overall, it seems Hong Jong-pyo showed disappointing performance both offensively and defensively. After the start of the season, Hong Jong-pyo has played in seven games, hitting .071 with one hit and two runs scored in 14 at-bats.
KIA will have Lee Woo-sung (left fielder), Wisdom (first baseman), Na Sung-bum (right fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Byeon Woo-hyuk (third baseman), Han Joon-soo (catcher), Choi Won-jun (center fielder), Kim Kyu-sung (shortstop), and Seo Geon-chang (second baseman) as the starting lineup. While struggling with the No. 1 hitter spot, KIA's Lee Woo-sung will make his debut as a lead-off batter.
Manager Lee noted, "I talked with the hitting coach, and honestly, I wasn’t sure who to use... He was in good condition yesterday, and since he was facing a left pitcher, I opted to use him. If the starting pitcher goes for 5-6 innings, having a good hitter like Wisdom in the 1-2 spots with Sung-bum and Hyung-woo behind him will create scoring opportunities. Additionally, with not many right-handed hitters available, I’m trying to fit him in there to give him more chances to hit, rather than sticking strictly to a lineup arrangement."
Meanwhile, Park Chan-ho is expected to be registered to the first team on the 5th. Manager Lee said, "Chan-ho is reportedly fine defensively and running, so I plan to register him tomorrow."
[OSEN]