The professional baseball team LG Twins will face the Kiwoom Heroes for the first match of the season on the 8th at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome.

Setting a new club record of 7 consecutive wins to start the season, LG is riding high with 10 wins and 1 loss in their first 11 games. Transfer had happened only three times in KBO League history for a team to start with 10 wins and 1 loss.

LG will have Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Austin (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Park Dong-won (catcher), Ham Chang-geon (left fielder), and Park Hae-min (center fielder) in the starting lineup that day.

Initially, Moon Seong-joo was scheduled to return to the first team roster that day; however, his return has been delayed due to a buttock abscess. As a result, Ham Chang-geon received his first starting opportunity of the season. Ham Chang-geon achieved a cycling hit in the Futures League on the 2nd and was called up to the first team on the 4th. He recorded no hits in one at-bat as a pinch hitter.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yup noted, "Moon Seong-joo couldn't come up due to the buttock abscess. He was originally supposed to be registered today (to the first team) but couldn't. He played in a practice game today and reportedly went 5 for 5. In a way, Seong-joo has given Chang-geon the opportunity. He was able to make one starting appearance before going back down to the second team."

Moon Seong-joo, who was removed from the first team due to a back injury on March 28, planned to return after ten days. However, last Thursday, he underwent a procedure to remove a buttock abscess. As a result, he was unable to play in a second team game, causing delays in his recovery schedule. He needed to compete in games at the second team before coming back up.

Having recovered from his condition, Moon Seong-joo participated as a designated hitter in a practice game against Hanil University in Icheon on the 8th, recording 5 hits in 5 at-bats. He is expected to be registered with the first team as early as the 9th.

LG is recording a batting average of .290 (2nd) and an OPS of .842 (1st). Austin, batting third, has a batting average of .350 with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs, while Moon Bo-kyung, batting fourth, boasts a batting average of .350 with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs.

Kiwoom's starting pitcher is rookie Yoon Hyun (18). It remains to be seen whether LG's batting lineup, which tends to struggle against unfamiliar pitchers, can overcome this challenge.

Yoon Hyun was drafted 31st overall in the 4th round of the 2025 draft by Kiwoom. He has appeared in 2 games as a starter, recording no wins or losses with an earned run average of 3.12. He successfully made his debut on March 27 against KIA, pitching 5 innings with 3 hits allowed, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 1 earned run.

LG's starting pitcher is Son Ju-young. He has recorded 2 wins and an earned run average of 2.77 over 2 games this season.

On March 23, he secured a victory against Lotte in the opening series with a perfect performance of 7 innings, allowing just 1 hit, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts without allowing any runs. On March 28 against NC in Changwon, he became the winning pitcher in a game where he pitched 6 innings, allowed 6 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs. Despite facing 3 home runs, he received support from the batting lineup.

Last year, Son Ju-young faced Kiwoom in 3 games, recording 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 hold with an earned run average of 5.11.

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