The Korea Professional Baseball League's Lotte Giants and LG Twins are set for a big match for 1st and 2nd place.
Lotte will face LG on the 20th at Busan Sajik Stadium. LG is currently in 1st place with 30 wins and 16 losses. Lotte is tied for 2nd place with Hanwha Eagles (28 wins, 18 losses) with a record of 28 wins, 18 losses, and 2 ties. This is a 1st and 2nd place showdown.
Manager Kim Tae-hyung of Lotte smiled and said regarding the big match for 1st and 2nd place, "There are still 100 games left. We are just playing." He added, "Today, I am actually looking forward to how Seong-bin will pitch as the manager."
Manager Kim said, "Based on today's results, regardless of whether we score or not, we need to see how much the pitcher competes with the batters, whether they go in or not, and if the ball count increases, it becomes a bit tougher," indicating he is considering opportunities for the 5th starter. He further stated, "I didn't say anything to the players."
The Lotte starting pitcher is Yoon Seong-bin. Yoon Seong-bin, who joined Lotte as the 1st overall pick in 2017, is a promising player yet to break out in his 9th year. This will be his first start of the season. He has shown potential in the Futures League, appearing in 6 games with a record of 2 wins and no losses, and an earned run average of 2.11. During 21⅓ innings, he recorded 40 strikeouts and 19 walks. Excluding his first season appearance (1 inning, 3 earned runs), his earned run average is 0.88.
Manager Kim noted, "The number of pitches depends on the situation, whether to cut it off or go further," stating that walks are a key point. Yoon Seong-bin expressed confidence that even if he gives up walks in the 2nd team, he can still strike out the next batter. In response, Manager Kim said, "Such confidence is good. If you can strike out a batter even after giving up a walk, then you should strike out before giving a walk," adding that "Such confidence is good. If you are that confident, that should be understood as very positive."
The debut game of new foreign pitcher Gamboa in the 1st team is taking shape. Manager Kim mentioned regarding Gamboa's upcoming schedule, "He will probably pitch tomorrow or in the 2nd team, and then he will likely join the Samsung series around that time." Lotte will have a 3-game series against Samsung from the 27th to the 29th.
On this day, Lotte will present a starting lineup of Jang Doo-sung (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Reyes (left fielder), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Yoo Gang-nam (catcher), and Son Ho-young (third baseman).
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