The 'defending champion' KIA Tigers, suffering from injuries early in the season, aim to turn the tide with the return of Park Chan-ho and the recent impressive power of Patrick Wisdom.
The KIA Tigers have assembled a starting lineup of Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Lee Woo-sung (left fielder), Na Sung-bum (right fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Wisdom (first baseman), Byeon Woo-hyeok (third baseman), Kim Gyu-sung (second baseman), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Park Jung-woo (center fielder) ahead of the second game of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League against the LG Twins on the 6th at the Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.
Park Chan-ho, who recovered from a knee sprain, steps on the field for the first time in 12 days since the game against the Gwangju Kiwoom Heroes on March 25, with his registration to the first team on the 5th. Although he was on the starting list the previous day, the game was canceled due to rain. Wisdom, who has been in the lineup for 3 out of the last 4 games, is notably placed in the 5th spot.
Before the game on the 6th, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho noted, "It's not easy for Park Chan-ho to return after about ten days, but if Park Chan-ho is at shortstop, the pitchers might have a simpler thought process. Also, since Kim Gyu-sung is good defensively, the infield will be more stabilized." He added, "I don’t expect Park Chan-ho to perform outstandingly. If he can get on base, it would be good to score according to the situation. I hope there will be synergy as we gradually improve our performance."
Regarding Wisdom's placement in the 5th spot, he said, "Wisdom is in good condition and should be in the center. He has excellent plate discipline when chances arise, as well as high on-base percentages and power, making it difficult for pitchers to face him. The reason he was mainly utilized in the 2nd spot earlier was due to injuries affecting three players and to help him adjust to Korean baseball." He also mentioned, "We need to score at least 5 runs to win. I constantly discuss with the hitting coach about the optimal batting order."
The starting pitcher for KIA that day is No. 2 starter Adam Oller. He is a pitcher with a powerful arm, and he is expected to perform well at the pitcher-friendly Jamsil Stadium. He already made an impressive appearance during the exhibition games, pitching 4 scoreless innings against the Doosan Bears.
However, the manager's thoughts were different. Lee Beom-ho stated, "He is a pitcher with good stuff, so there may be some fluke hits. This is why baseball is difficult. While the large size of the field reduces the probability of home runs, it significantly increases the likelihood of fluke hits. However, if the risk of power hitting is fundamentally reduced, the pitcher will psychologically feel much more comfortable. I expect good pitching from him."
KIA has set its starting lineup against LG's starting pitcher Yoni Chirinos, which includes Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Lee Woo-sung (left fielder), Na Sung-bum (right fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Patrick Wisdom (first baseman), Byeon Woo-hyeok (third baseman), Kim Gyu-sung (second baseman), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Park Jung-woo (center fielder).
Regarding the exclusion of Choi Won-jun from the starting lineup, manager Lee Beom-ho commented, "I hope Choi Won-jun can take it easy for a bit. Park Jung-woo has strong defensive skills, so it was difficult to start him early on, but he has been seeing the ball well and has a wide defensive range, so we decided to give him a chance."
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