Leading hitter Kim Sung-yoon (26, Samsung Lions), who is at the top of the batting average in professional baseball, has been excluded from the starting lineup as a precaution for injury management.
Samsung announced the lineup for the home game against the Hanwha Eagles in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, which will be held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 26th, featuring the opposing starter Moon Dong-ju, with Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Yang Do-geun (third baseman), Koo Ja-wook (left fielder), Lewin Diaz (first baseman), Park Byung-ho (designated hitter), Kang Min-ho (catcher), Kim Tae-hoon (right fielder), Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman), and Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop). The starting pitcher will be Herson Garabito.
This season, in 51 games, Kim Sung-yoon has excelled with a batting average of .354 (73 hits in 206 at-bats), 2 home runs, 29 RBIs, an on-base percentage of .437, a slugging percentage of .495, and an OPS of .932, ranking first in batting average and on-base percentage, fourth in OPS, and eighth in slugging percentage. Yang Do-geun has been moved up to the second batting order in Kim Sung-yoon's absence, while Kim Tae-hoon has taken the position in right field.
According to the Samsung team, Kim Sung-yoon felt slight discomfort in the tendon behind his right knee, leading to his exclusion from the starting lineup as a precaution. It is not a serious injury and the exclusion is done for preventive measures.
On the previous day (the 25th), Samsung broke a three-game losing streak by defeating Hanwha 7-2, thanks to Ariel Hurado's stellar 7-inning performance with 1 run allowed. They will challenge for consecutive wins against Hanwha, featuring new foreign pitcher Garabito, who was signed as a replacement for Denny Reyes, who left due to a minor fracture in his foot. Garabito completed his preparations for the game with live pitching in Gyeongsan on the 22nd.
Samsung manager Park Jin-man said, "Since he is a player with excellent stuff, it would be good for him to pitch in his own style. Although he hasn’t pitched in real games in the Futures League, he underwent live pitching, and there are no concerns about that. I believe if he keeps his routine well, he will definitely fulfill his role."
He added, "Since it's the first game, I don't intend to push him too hard. He didn’t throw many pitches during live pitching. We will decide on the timing for substitutions while monitoring the game situation and checking his condition. There is no set number of pitches or innings, but we won't overstrain him," and noted, "I haven't given any special instructions to the player. I told him he can pitch sufficiently with his own style and stuff, so just keep the routine well."
[OSEN]