"I'm feeling very unwell, but I've decided to give Cave some rest."

Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) are preparing for their 9th match of the season against the Lotte Giants on the 8th at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. This is the final game of the weekend series.

Doosan has set its starting lineup against Lotte's left-handed pitcher Alec Gamboa, which includes Lee Yoo-chan (shortstop), Kim Dae-han (right fielder), Yang Eui-ji (designated hitter), Kim Jae-hwan (left fielder), Kim Gi-yeon (catcher), Park Jun-soon (third baseman), Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Park Gye-beom (first baseman), and Yeo Dong-geon (second baseman). The starting pitcher is local ace Kwak-bin.

The first team roster has catcher Ryu Hyun-jun coming up, while pitcher Kim Jung-woo has gone down.

Park Gye-beom (right shin), Jung Soo-bin (right hip), and Yang Eui-ji (right knee), who were replaced due to injuries during the previous day's game against Lotte, are all included in the lineup. It's noticeable that they have advanced three right-handed batters, Lee Yoo-chan, Kim Dae-han, and Yang Eui-ji, against the left-handed Gamboa. Foreign pitcher Jake Cave has been given a rest.

Starting pitcher Kwak-bin returned from a side injury in his comeback game against the KIA Tigers at Jamsil on the 3rd, but he struggled with 1 hit, 5 walks, and 6 strikeouts in 3 innings, leading to a loss. Last year against Lotte, he had a record of 4 wins and 2 losses with an earned run average of 4.46 over 6 games.

After their three-game winning streak was snapped, Doosan stands at 25 wins, 3 ties, and 35 losses in 9th place, while Lotte, which broke its three-game losing streak, is in a tie for 3rd place with 33 wins, 3 ties, and 28 losses. The season matchup between the two teams is 4 wins and 4 losses.

The following is a Q&A session with acting manager Jo Sung-hwan before the game.

-How are Yang Eui-ji, Jung Soo-bin, and Park Gye-beom's conditions?

They are all fine. Yang Eui-ji will play as the designated hitter, and Jung Soo-bin will be perfectly fine in defense. Since I thought that right-handed batters would have some advantage against pitcher Gamboa, I decided to use Park Gye-beom at first base.

-Yang Eui-ji has been consistently checking his condition during training.

He was concerned that his knee condition might worsen yesterday, so he requested to be substituted. So I said it was for the best. It's better to do this than to have a couple of days off due to worsening. However, it seemed difficult for him to also back up as a catcher today, so I used him as a designated hitter. He mentioned that he plans to play a lot next week. Naturally, we needed another backup catcher, so we brought up Ryu Hyun-jun. Although Kim Jung-woo pitched well yesterday, he had to go down due to team circumstances.

-What is the background for excluding Cave from the starting lineup?

Cave has been running without a break for too long. I thought that by resting him today, he might recover his energy by tomorrow. It’s really tough, but we decided to take Cave out of the lineup. In fact, I have had many discussions regarding Cave's rest with Manager Lee Seung-yeob for a long time. I'm sure Cave has been asked repeatedly if he's fine, if he's not tired, and if he can keep going after so many games. Yet, he continued to insist on going out, showing dedication to the team. Despite my current condition, I granted Cave a rest. He will likely go in during the later part of the game, but I'll assess the situation.

-Evaluation of Hong Geon-hee's comeback game

I wanted to put Hong Geon-hee in a comfortable situation, but I wondered when that comfortable situation would come, so I sent him out when we were down by 2 points. He has played in many tight games, so I believed he wouldn't feel burdened, and that's when I sent him in. Hong Geon-hee also said he could pitch in that situation.

-You said special training is only done on winning days, but you did special training yesterday as well.

I want to clarify my interview. I said special training is done only on winning days, but what I meant was that it starts from winning days. After the exhausting game against the KIA, I said I hoped they would take a break, but if the players wanted to practice the next day, we could practice outside. I wondered if they were practicing yesterday, but they practiced under Kim In-tae's lead, and I was very pleased.

-Among the young resources, which player stands out?

Park Jun-soon comes to mind first. Kim Dong-jun does as well, along with Kim Dae-han, Lee Yoo-chan, and Yeo Dong-geon. Yeo Dong-geon said before the game to hit the pitchers hard, and when I lay down to sleep, I got a message saying, 'Manager, I've hit it hard.' So I told him to hit for a hit instead (laughs). Young players showing no hesitation provides great power. I believe fans can empathize with that as well. However, one thing I would like to mention is my concern that boldness may lead to reckless behavior. If they are too bold, it may lead to mistakes when they need to stay calm. I hope they can balance being bold without being reckless and act calmly. I want to leave a message to have composure during the game. If they can differentiate between boldness and recklessness, there will be more good games.

-In such a situation, it is also important for veterans to hold the center.

Kim In-tae in the dugout is doing well in that role. I also hope the players pay close attention to how Cave performs during the game. Additionally, Yang Eui-ji is showing great fighting spirit, and Kim Jae-hwan is solidly anchoring the batting order. There will be a lot to observe and learn.

-What is the current status of Yang Seok-hwan, Kang Seung-ho, and Jo Soo-haeng who are down in the Futures League?

We are continuously monitoring them closely. Yang Seok-hwan has suffered an injury (fractured rib) and will take some time to recover. If the timing allows, I am considering visiting the 2nd team game.

-What about the pitch limit for Kwak-bin?

He is asking not to impose any limit, but we need to observe the game situation. Anyway, the standard pitch count will be difficult.

+ Lastly, I would like you to write that Jeon Jun-woo was the most frustrating for me this time.

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