“If we lose the first game, it will complicate things.”

The first doubleheader of the season will take place. Four games that were canceled due to rain across the country on the 9th will now have to be played as doubleheaders on the 10th at Jamshil (NC-Doosan), Suwon (Lotte-KT), Incheon (KIA-SSG), and Daegu (LG-Samsung).

On the 10th at SSG Landers Field in Incheon, the KIA Tigers and SSG Landers will play two games in one day. It is a significant match between KIA and SSG, both tied for 6th place. For the three-game series, KIA will have the starting rotation of Oller, Nail, and Yang Hyun-jong as 1st to 3rd starters. SSG will also field Anderson, Kim Kwang-hyun, and White as their 1st to 3rd starters.

Both teams will have ace-level pitchers starting. It puts pressure on both sides. Manager Lee Beom-ho noted that with the doubleheader made possible by the rainout, “In a way, one team may end up in chaos. It’s a very important game. Since all of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd starters are involved, the team that loses the first game will certainly have a lot on its mind.”

He added, “We need to prepare well to win the first game, and it would be best to play one game in a day, but the team playing at Gocheok seems to have the advantage,” expressing his concerns about the doubleheader.

On the 9th, the matchup was Anderson versus Oller as the starting pitchers. Before the rainout, SSG manager Lee Sung-yong was asked if Anderson, who has better form, would be the starter for the first game in the event of a doubleheader. He replied, “Both starters have to pitch anyway, but it seems likely that Anderson will start the first game,” adding, “Their best pitcher will probably go too.” He anticipated that Nail might be the starting pitcher for the first game.

After the announcement of the rainout for the game on the 9th, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho held a press interview. Manager Lee said about the first game starter, “Since Oller was slated to pitch today, I think Oller will pitch first. We heard about the cancellation as we arrived, so the pitching coach will talk it over now. There’s no reason to change the order, so I expect Oller to pitch first.”

Subsequently, Anderson was announced as the starter for SSG for the first game of the doubleheader, while Oller was named as the starter for KIA. The second game of the doubleheader will feature a starting matchup between Kim Kwang-hyun and Nail.

Anderson has recorded 2 wins and 2 losses with an earned run average of 2.79 over 7 games this season. Last year, against KIA, he recorded 6 innings with 4 earned runs over 2 games without a decision. This will be his first appearance this year. Kim Kwang-hyun has had a poor start with 1 win and 5 losses and an earned run average of 4.54 over 8 games so far. He won his season opener but has been on a 5-game losing streak since.

Oller has recorded 4 wins and 1 loss with an earned run average of 3.43 over 7 games this season. He started against SSG on April 13, pitched 7 innings, and allowed 2 earned runs to become the winning pitcher. Nail has recorded 2 wins without a loss and an earned run average of 1.09 over 8 games, placing him at the top of the league in earned run average. He did not pitch against SSG last year.

Last year, against SSG, he had 2 games with 1 loss and an earned run average of 6.17 (11⅔ innings, 8 earned runs), which was the worst performance among the 9 teams. Nail is considered the best pitcher in the league, but Oller has performed better against SSG.

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