With Kwak Bin and Hong Gun-hee returning, what will really change? Doosan's biggest problem is not the mound, but the batting lineup. With this level of hitting, even if Park Cheol-soon and Seon Dong-yeol come, it seems they would become losing pitchers.

The Doosan Bears lost 0-1 to the Kiwoom Heroes in an away game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 1st, falling into a two-game losing streak again.

After suffering a shocking loss of 0-1 on May 31, Doosan fielded a remarkable lineup against their former teammate, Raul Alcantara, who started for Kiwoom, with Kim Min-seok, Kim Joon-sang, Yang Eui-ji, Kim Jae-hwan, Jake Cave, Yang Seok-hwan, Lim Jong-sung, Park Gyeong-beom, and Kim Dae-han. After achieving a turnaround by putting Kim Joon-sang, a rookie from the youth team, at first base instead of Yang Seok-hwan and Kang Seung-ho in the game against Suwon KT Wiz on May 28, Manager Lee Seung-yup sought to revitalize the stagnant batting lineup with a table-setting card of Kim Min-seok and Kim Joon-sang, and the ninth-place card of Kim Dae-han.

The remarkable batting lineup seemed to find success from the first inning. Lead-off hitter Kim Min-seok displayed patience by striking out after facing Alcantara in a battle that lasted as long as 11 pitches, and Kim Joon-sang made a double to create a scoring chance with one out and runners on first and second. However, after Yang Eui-ji harmlessly flew out to first base on the first pitch, Kim Jae-hwan walked, but Cave ended the inning with a fly ball to the third baseman.

In the second inning, with a hit by pitch on Lim Jong-sung and a center-field hit by Kim Dae-han, Doosan faced a situation with two outs and runners on first and second, but Kim Min-seok flew out to left field. In the third inning, lead-off hitter Kim Joon-sang got on base with a bunt single, but Yang Eui-ji flew out to first base and Kim Jae-hwan was out on a fielder's choice. Cave managed to keep the fire alive with a single to left field, but this time, Yang Seok-hwan struck out swinging.

In the fourth inning, lead-off hitter Lim Jong-sung's double also did not lead to a score due to failed subsequent hits. The fifth inning with Kim Joon-sang, Yang Eui-ji, and Kim Jae-hwan resulted in a powerless three-up, three-down. In the sixth inning, lead-off hitter Cave flied out to third base, and Yang Seok-hwan similarly made a fly out to center field. Lim Jong-sung again hit a double, but rookie Park Joon-soon struck out swinging, and the inning ended without a score.

Doosan squandered a no-out situation with a runner on first in the seventh inning, and in the eighth inning, they hoped for Kim Jae-hwan, Cave, and Yang Seok-hwan, but once again suffered a powerless three-up, three-down. In the ninth inning, trailing 0-1, lead-off hitter Lim Jong-sung and pinch-hitter Kim In-tae recorded consecutive hits, while pinch-hitter Jo Soo-hyeong executed a sacrifice bunt. Kim Min-seok received an automatic intentional walk, creating a situation with one out and the bases loaded before Kim Joon-sang struck out swinging, and Yang Eui-ji flew out to right field, ending the game.

Ironically, the performances of high-salaried players and rookies were starkly different. While it may sound obvious, Doosan's veterans seemed like rookies, and the rookies seemed like veterans. 'The catcher with a salary of 15.2 billion won,' Yang Eui-ji, went 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts; 'the power hitter with a salary of 11.5 billion won,' Kim Jae-hwan, went 0 for 3 with 1 walk; and 'the first baseman with a salary of 7.8 billion won,' Yang Seok-hwan, went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. In contrast, Kim Joon-sang went 2 for 5, Lim Jong-sung went 3 for 3, and Kim Dae-han had 2 hits in 3 at-bats, thriving while the high-salaried veterans failed to capitalize on the opportunities created by the rookies.

Once again, the mound was lonely on this day, as starter Choi Seung-yong pitched 6⅓ innings, allowing 5 hits, no walks, striking out 6 batters, and giving up 1 run, yet ended up as the losing pitcher. The subsequent performance of Kim Tae-gyeong, who pitched 1⅔ innings with 3 strikeouts, was also overshadowed.

Doosan suffered a shocking losing streak of two games after a win against the overwhelmingly last-placed Kiwoom, incurring more than just two losses. They experienced a humiliating stretch, scoring no runs for an impressive 20 innings starting from the eighth inning on May 30 against Kiwoom, who have the league's worst earned run average (5.81). Like other clubs, Doosan also failed to create a turning point against Kiwoom. The gap to the 8th place NC Dinos has widened to 3 games, while the gap to 10th place Kiwoom has narrowed to 9.5 games.

Compounding matters, Doosan faces strong teams like the KIA Tigers and Lotte Giants in a home series of 6 games next week. The return match for local ace Kwak Bin is scheduled for the 3rd, and Hong Gun-hee is also close to returning to the first team, but it seems unlikely that their return will dramatically change the team's situation. Rather, the high-salaried batters in the lineup need to find a way to rebound through special training and additional practice. If the players who need to perform don't, losses are inevitable.

[OSEN]