Doosan succeeded in changing the momentum with an unconventional lineup.

The Doosan Bears of the Korea Professional Baseball League won a decisive 12-3 victory against the KT Wiz in the eighth game of the season held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 28th.

Doosan broke a four-game losing streak against KT with the previous day's loss and recorded 22 wins, 3 draws, and 29 losses for the season. It has been 24 days since Doosan's lineup scored double-digit runs, the last being a 11-6 victory against the Samsung Lions in Daegu on the 4th. Meanwhile, the recent five-game winning streak of KT ended, making their record 27 wins, 3 draws, and 25 losses.

On the road, Doosan faced KT starter William Cuevas and set up a starting lineup including Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Jake Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kim In-tae (left fielder), Oh Myung-jin (shortstop), Choo Jae-hyun (first baseman), Lim Jong-seong (third baseman), Kim Jun-sang (second baseman).

The unconventional order saw '780 million won free agent' Yang Seok-hwan and 'top performer among field players' Kang Seung-ho both absent. Outfielder Choo Jae-hyun took over first base for the first time in 1,074 days since June 19, 2022, against the SSG Landers when he was with the Lotte Giants, while rookie Kim Jun-sang, a former development player, played second base. Manager Lee Seung-yup noted, "I waited long enough. A change in the lineup was necessary for a shift in momentum."

In response, KT faced Doosan starter Choi Min-seok with a lineup including Hwang Jae-kyun (first baseman), Kim Min-hyuk (designated hitter), Ahn Hyun-min (right fielder), Mel Rojas Jr. (left fielder), Jang Seong-woo (catcher), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Jang Jin-hyuk (center fielder), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). The previous day's injury to Kang Baek-ho, who hurt his ankle while running the bases, resulted in a diagnosis of a ligament tear and an eight-week rehabilitation period, leading to Kim Min-hyuk taking his place in the designated hitter position.

Doosan aggressively attacked Cuevas from the first inning. The table setters Jung Soo-bin and Cave set the stage with consecutive hits, creating a no-out situation with runners on first and third. Jung Soo-bin broke the scoreless tie by scoring due to Cuevas' balk, and with a groundout by Yang Eui-ji and a straight walk from Kim Jae-hwan, the chance continued, leading to a go-ahead, one-RBI double by Kim In-tae.

Luck was also on their side. With one out and runners on second and third, Oh Myung-jin hit a ground ball to shortstop, but a throwing error by shortstop Kwon Dong-jin allowed both runner Kim Jae-hwan and runner Kim In-tae to score. Doosan led 4-0. However, the continued opportunity with one out and runners on second base evaporated as Choo Jae-hyun grounded out to second base and Lim Jong-seong popped out to left field.

In the third inning, Yang Eui-ji led off and widened the gap with a solo home run. Yang watched Cuevas' first pitch, then hit the second pitch, a low changeup at 129 km/h, for a home run that traveled 123.4 meters to left field. This was the seventh home run of the season, coming eight days after the game against the SSG Landers on the 20th. Yang added another score, achieving his 900th career run, making him the 35th player in KBO League history to reach that milestone.

Doosan continued to build on their lead in the fifth inning. After one out, Cave reached second base with a single and a wild pitch. Although Yang Eui-ji struck out swinging, Kim Jae-hwan brought in a run with an RBI single to left.

KT had opportunities in the bottom of the first inning with two outs and a runner on third, and in the bottom of the second inning with two outs and a runner on second, but failed to capitalize on both chances. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with two outs, Park Min-seok got a straight walk, Hwang Jae-kyun followed with a hit, and Kim Min-hyuk walked on a full count, loading the bases. However, Ahn Hyun-min popped out to right field.

Doosan also regretted a missed opportunity in the sixth inning. Choo Jae-hyun hit a single, and Kim Jun-sang achieved his first hit as a rookie, putting runners on first and third with two outs, but Jung Soo-bin grounded out to second base, ending the inning.

KT mounted a fightback in the bottom of the sixth inning. After one out, Jang Seong-woo reached first due to an error by third baseman Lim Jong-seong, and Heo Kyung-min's walk positioned runners on first and second. Jang Jin-hyuk hit a two-RBI double, Kim Sang-su had an RBI infield groundout, and pinch hitter Bae Jeong-dae contributed a well-placed infield single for another RBI, closing the score to 3-6.

Doosan was not idle. In the top of the seventh inning, after one out, Yang Eui-ji and Kim Jae-hwan hit back-to-back home runs off Mun Yong-ik. Yang Eui-ji crushed a high fastball (148 km/h) on the third pitch at 2 balls, 0 strikes to clear the left fence, and Kim Jae-hwan followed with a homer over the fence on a high fastball (148 km/h) at 2 balls, 2 strikes. Yang registered his 8th home run of the season while Kim recorded his 7th.

Next, Kim In-tae drew a walk after a seven-pitch battle against Mun Yong-ik, and pinch runner Jo Soo-haeng took advantage of three consecutive wild pitches from replaced pitcher Kim Jae-won to score.

Doosan did not stop there; with Park Gye-beom's walk and Kim Jun-sang's hit by pitch, they continued to extend their bases loaded opportunity, scoring one more run with Jung Soo-bin's push walk.

Doosan celebrated a great victory with consecutive RBIs from Kang Seung-ho and Park Gye-beom after having the first and second base opportunity from Jo Soo-haeng's walk and Oh Myung-jin's single in the top of the eighth inning with two outs.

Doosan starter Choi Min-seok achieved a remarkable first win in just his second game, pitching five innings, allowing four hits, two walks, and striking out two without giving up any runs, on 85 pitches. Following him were Kim Myung-shin (⅓ inning, three earned runs), Park Shin-ji (⅔ inning, no runs), Choi Ji-kang (1 inning, no runs), Yang Jae-hoon (1 inning, no runs), and Kim Ho-jun (1 inning, no runs).

The lineup showed fearsome firepower, scoring 12 runs on 13 hits. Yang Eui-ji led the offense with two home runs, while Cave contributed with two hits and two runs from five at-bats, and Kim Jae-hwan added two hits, one home run, two RBIs, and two walks along with two runs.

On the other hand, KT starter Cuevas struggled through five innings, allowing six hits (including one home run), two walks, striking out seven, and giving up six runs (five earned) on 93 pitches, suffering his fifth loss of the season (with two wins). The two hits from Hwang Jae-kyun and Jang Jin-hyuk went overlooked in the complete defeat.

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