“This needs to continue.”
Lee Seung-yup, the Doosan Bears manager, expressed his expectations for Lee Yoo-chan, who performed impressively in the previous day's game (4th), before the regular season game against the Lotte Giants on the 5th at Busan Sajik Stadium.
Doosan achieved a decisive victory in the previous day's game, winning 15-3. In particular, Lee Yoo-chan, who started as the left fielder in the first spot, showcased an impressive performance with 3 hits in 5 at-bats, 1 walk, 2 RBIs, and 4 runs scored, including a 2-RBI triple in the 7th inning. Lee Yoo-chan, who returned from a congratulatory leave after his son's birth on the 3rd, demonstrated his qualifications as a father with his outstanding performance.
Manager Lee Seung-yup, watching Lee Yoo-chan's performance, noted, “This performance needs to continue. It shouldn’t end in one day,” and remarked, “I saw in the article about (Lee) Yoo-chan that he should earn a lot of money; to earn a lot of money, he just needs to perform well out there,” expressing his hopes for future performances and urging improvement.
Meanwhile, on this day, Lee Yoo-chan will start as the right fielder in the ninth spot. The lineup was significantly revised to face opposing right-handed starter Park Se-woong. The starting lineup was adjusted to include Jeong Soo-bin (center fielder), Kim In-tae (left fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Kang Seung-ho (third baseman), Park Jun-young (shortstop), Park Gye-beom (second baseman), and Lee Yoo-chan (right fielder).
Kim In-tae, who recorded 2 hits and 3 RBIs including a home run the previous day, was named to the starting lineup again. He stated, “Right now, (Kim) In-tae's condition is so good that it seems too wasteful to use him as a pinch hitter. He performed well yesterday and again today with the right-handed pitcher, so I put him in the starting lineup.” He added, “I've heard that playing left field is more comfortable than right field. Yoo-chan also said he was fine with it, so we organized the outfield with Kim In-tae in left field and Lee Yoo-chan in right field.”
Regarding Lee Yoo-chan's defensive skills as a right fielder, he mentioned, “It’s actually hard to judge as the ball doesn’t come my way much. However, he looks good in practice and seems to feel more comfortable in the outfield than infield. He seems to handle being in the outfield well; his legs are a bit faster, and his shoulder is okay compared to the infield.”
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