Doosan Bears' starting catcher Yang Eui-ji complained of back pain and was removed from the lineup.
The professional baseball team Doosan Bears is preparing for its seventh season meeting against KIA Tigers in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 3rd.
Doosan resigned Coach Lee Seung-yup on the 2nd when there was no game due to his responsibility for the poor performance. Coach Lee visited the club office in the afternoon to inform CEO Ko Young-seop and Director General Kim Tae-ryong of this intention, and the club accepted his resignation after consideration, appointing Coach Jo Sung-hwan as interim head coach.
Doosan initially set the starting lineup against KIA's starting pitcher Yang Hyun-jong as Kim Dae-han (left fielder), Jake Cave (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Im Jong-seong (third baseman), Kim Min-hyuk (first baseman), Kim Jun-sang (second baseman), Park Jun-soon (shortstop), and Jeong Su-bin (center fielder).
However, just before interim coach Jo Sung-hwan's pre-game interview, reports came in about starting catcher Yang Eui-ji's back pain. In response, interim coach Jo held an emergency meeting with the coaching staff in the first-base foul area, revising the lineup urgently.
Doosan's final lineup submitted was Jeong Su-bin (center fielder), Kim Dae-han (left fielder), Cave (right fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Kim Gi-yeon (catcher), Im Jong-seong (third baseman), Kim Min-hyuk (first baseman), Kim Jun-sang (second baseman), and Park Jun-soon (shortstop). A Doosan official noted, "Yang Eui-ji was excluded from the lineup due to back discomfort."
The first starting pitcher for Doosan Jo Sung-hwan's team is native ace Kwak Bin. After suffering a severe side injury just before the season opener, he is now making his first appearance after playing 58 games since the opening. Coach Lee Seung-yup had expressed great expectations for the return of the win leader last weekend but decided to resign the day before the return game. Kwak Bin showed strong performance against KIA last year with 1 win, 1 loss, and an earned run average of 2.37 in 3 games.
The first-team roster saw starting first baseman Yang Seok-hwan, second baseman Kang Seung-ho, and outfielder Jo Soo-haeng moved to the second team, while infielders Kim Min-hyuk, Kim Dong-jun, Lee Sun-woo, and pitcher Kwak Bin were promoted. Interim coach Jo Sung-hwan stated, "It was my suggestion to move key players to the second team."
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