The spring rain has deepened the concerns of the managers of both teams. With the regular season opener approaching, they are struggling to adjust the pitch counts of the starting pitchers. For now, the Lotte Giants and KT Wiz have devised a makeshift plan.
Lotte and KT will face off in a professional baseball practice match at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 16th. The rain cancellation on the previous day (15th) complicated the managers' plans for both teams. The issue lies with the starting pitchers.
They need to manage to pitch more than a certain number of pitches and ramp up their pace before the opener, but unexpected spring rain and cold have introduced variables. Lotte's starting pitcher from the previous day, Barnes, will pitch in the first team game today, expected to throw around 80 pitches over 5 innings. Instead, Kim Jin-wook, the originally scheduled starting pitcher, will take the mound in the Futures League game against KT Wiz held at Sangdong-gu nearby.
Furthermore, foreign pitcher Tucker Davidson will not join the away game against Kiwoom on the 17th and 18th, instead pitching in the Futures League match against NC at Masan Stadium on the 19th.
For KT, the starting pitcher from the previous day, Heisus, will take the mound today. Following him, Oh Won-seok will pitch to increase the pitch count. Together, the two pitchers are expected to cover around 6 to 7 innings. William Cuevas will pitch in the Doosan game on the 17th for the final test.
Lotte has arranged the starting lineup with Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Son Ho-young (third baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (left fielder), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), Jeong Hoon (first baseman), Na Seung-yeop (designated hitter), Yoo Gang-nam (catcher), and Han Tae-yang (shortstop).
KT will start with Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Rojas (right fielder), Heo Gyeong-min (third baseman), Kim Min-hyeok (left fielder), Jang Seong-woo (catcher), Moon Sang-cheol (first baseman), Cheon Seong-ho (second baseman), Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), and Kim Sang-soo (shortstop).
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