Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yup urged his players to focus more on their performance.
Lee Seung-yup said in an interview before the match against SSG Landers at Seoul's Jamsil Stadium on the 22nd, "Yesterday's game was embarrassing," expressing regret over the previous game's defeat.
Doosan lost to SSG 1-9 in the last game. In the second inning, while trailing 0-1, they had a disappointing moment allowing additional runs due to a double steal with two outs on first and third base.
Lee Seung-yup noted, "We had a strategy not to give up runs, but we allowed them. It's a defensive mistake on our part. Such moments have occurred twice already. The failure to prepare ultimately falls on the manager."
Rookie right-handed pitcher Choi Min-seok (16th pick in the second round) made his starting debut in the last game, pitching 4 innings with 2 hits allowed, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs. Lee Seung-yup evaluated Choi's debut positively, saying, "Choi Min-seok's pitching wasn't bad. The players’ support was a bit lacking, and he allowed runs due to walks, but I think he confidently threw strikes. The ratio of strikes was high, and he didn't seem intimidated by the seniors in his debut game. It seemed like he was nervous as it was his first game, but I plan to give him another chance next time."
Doosan's starting lineup consisted of Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Jake Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Kim Jae-hwan (left fielder), Kim Ki-yeon (catcher), Oh Myung-jin (shortstop), Kang Seung-ho (second baseman), and Lim Jong-seong (third baseman). The starting pitcher is Hong Min-kyu. Park Jung-soo has been removed from the first-team roster, and Kim Ho-jun has been registered.
Rookie right-handed pitcher Hong Min-kyu (26th pick in the third round) has recorded 2 wins, 1 loss, and 1 save with an earned run average of 3.09 over 14 games (23⅓ innings) this season. He made his first starting appearance against KIA on the 17th, pitching 3⅔ innings with 6 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs. He will make his second starting appearance in this game.
Lee Seung-yup stated, "The seniors need to help. They must show concentration in defense and certainly need to be strong in the batting lineup. Although we will face good pitchers like Anderson and Kim Kwang-hyun today, the seniors need to step up. Scoring first is essential to relieve some pressure off the pitchers. Since we are in a losing streak, I hope they put in extra effort."
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