The professional baseball LG Twins will face the Doosan Bears on the 21st at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. This season, the two teams have an even record of 3 wins and 3 losses.
The previous day's 'Jamsil Rivalry' match was canceled due to heavy rain.
LG will have Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Kim Hyun-soo (left fielder), Austin (first baseman), Moon Bo-gyeong (third baseman), Moon Sung-ju (right fielder), Park Dong-won (designated hitter), Gu Bon-hyeok (shortstop), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Park Hae-min (center fielder) in the starting lineup against Doosan.
Park Dong-won will serve as the designated hitter, and Lee Ju-heon will put on the catcher's mask. Manager Youm Kyoung-youb noted during a pre-game interview, "Park Dong-won has a slight ankle issue, so he will take on the designated hitter role for the sake of managing his stamina. He will continue in that position until tomorrow."
It is possible because of backup catcher Lee Ju-heon. Manager Youm praised, "Lee Ju-heon has developed significantly since the beginning of the season. He is now performing well defensively, and his batting is improving. His blocking has stabilized a lot. Battery coach Park Kyoung-wan has worked hard to train him every day."
The starting pitcher is Hernandez. He has recorded 3 wins and 3 losses with an earned run average of 4.14 in 8 games this season. He underwent 6 weeks of rehabilitation due to a thigh muscle injury sustained in mid-April. This will be his first game against Doosan this year. Last year, he recorded 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 save with an earned run average of 3.86 in 3 games against Doosan.
On the 17th against NC, Hernandez threw a fastball to Park Gun-woo with no outs and a runner on first in the second inning, but it hit his helmet, resulting in his ejection. He was removed after pitching 1 inning (22 pitches) and will be starting again after a short rest.
On this day, LG registered Son Ju-yeong on the first-team roster and removed Choi Chae-hung. Manager Youm said, "Son Ju-yeong will pitch less than 30 pitches for 1 inning against left-handed batters today. He mentioned that he wanted to pitch that much because he feels that if he doesn't pitch for too long, he might lose his game sense."
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