adminKIA Tigers’ Choi Won-jun will return to his original defensive position of center field instead of his temporary position at first base. KIA manager Kim Jong-kook made the decision to ease the defensive burden on Choi.
KIA will play against the Suwon KT WIZ on August 24. After losing 4-8 on the 22nd, KIA had a day off on the 23rd due to a rainout.
On that day, KIA will face KT starting pitcher Ko Young-pyo with a starting batting order of Choi Won-joon (center field), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Na Sung-beom (right field), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Kim Sun-bin (second base), Socrates (left field), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), Byun Woo-hyuk (first base), and Kim Do-young (third base). KIA’s starting pitcher for the day is Thomas Panoida.
Choi Won-joon will start in center field and Byun Woo-hyuk will start at first base. Choi Won-jun has been playing mostly first base defense this season after being discharged from the Sangmu Baseball Team. For the first time in a long time, he will start in his natural position, the outfield. In 46 games this season, Choi hit .254 with 46 hits, one home run, 18 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Byun Woo-hyuk is also in the starting lineup for the first time since returning to the first team in mid-August.
Manager Kim Jong-kook met with the media before the game on the 24th and said, “(Choi) Won-joon must have felt a lot of guilt because he was playing first base and if he made a fielding error, it would lead to a run. That made me feel even more embarrassed, so I decided to play him in the outfield today.”
The KT starting pitcher that the KIA offense will have to deal with is Ko Young-pyo, the league’s leading submarine pitcher. Ko has appeared in 21 games (132.2 innings) this season, posting a 10-5 record with a 2.51 ERA, 87 strikeouts, and a 1.06 WHIP. Ko will take the mound today after skipping one rotation to manage his health.
In terms of his gameplan, Kim called for bold swings, targeting specific pitches, even if it’s the first or second pitch.
“For a player like Ko, whether it’s a fastball or a changeup, if the count is high, the odds are against him. I think he needs to go in with a favorable count before it becomes a two-strike count. Even if it’s the first pitch or the second pitch, he needs to swing boldly. The condition of Ko Young-pyo’s pitching today will be a guiding variable.”메이저사이트
The interim starting pitcher for the 29th against the Gwangju NC Dinos is still undecided. Kim plans to continue to consider several candidates.
“Since (Hwang) Dong-ha doesn’t have a registration date, (Kim) Yoo-shin is also an option, and (Kim) Gun-gook or (Kim) Jae-yeol, who have experience starting in the first team, are also options. I think we’ll have to keep thinking about it. The two pitchers who will be registered in the September expansion roster should be considered bullpen resources.”