This year's opening game of the professional baseball league is expected to showcase a high-quality pitching match with active big league pitchers participating.

The managers of the 10 professional baseball teams announced the starting pitchers for the opening game of the 2025 season during the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Media Day & Fan Fest held on the 20th at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul.

The professional baseball league will kick off on the 22nd simultaneously in Daegu (Samsung Lions vs. Kiwoom Heroes), Incheon (Doosan Bears vs. SSG Landers), Gwangju (NC Dinos vs. KIA Tigers), Jamsil (Lotte Giants vs. LG Twins), and Suwon (Hanwha Eagles vs. KT Wiz).

In Daegu, a matchup between Ariel Hurado (Samsung) and Kenny Rosenberg (Kiwoom) is anticipated. Hurado, who amassed a total of 21 wins over the last two years with Kiwoom, is starting fresh this year wearing a Samsung uniform. Coincidentally, his first game opponent is his former team.

Rosenberg is a newcomer who joined Kiwoom this year. The left-handed pitcher from California was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 8th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He spent five seasons playing in minor league teams affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays before transferring to the Los Angeles Angels in 2021, making his MLB debut in 2022. He was recognized for his skills and potential, having recently been included in the Los Angeles Angels' 40-man roster.

In Incheon, another active big league pitcher is stepping up. The new ace of Doosan, Cole Irvin, takes center stage. He made his big league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019 and has played for the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Minnesota Twins. Last year, he had four games in the major leagues without a win and one loss with an earned run average of 12.27. Over six seasons in the majors, he boasts a rich experience with a record of 134 games (93 starts), 593 innings, 28 wins, and 40 losses with an earned run average of 4.54. He is regarded as the best foreign player among the new faces.

In response, SSG will bring out Drew Anderson, a right-handed fireballer who joined last year as a replacement foreign player and achieved 11 wins. Anderson secured a re-signing at $1.2 million thanks to his powerful pitching last year. He showed strong performance against Doosan last year with two games, two wins, and an earned run average of 0.79.

Gwangju will also feature a matchup between a newcomer and an experienced player. NC's new addition, Logan Allen, will face KIA's James Nail, who shone as the winning ace last year. Logan, who joined NC for $1 million, has a record of 5 wins and 11 losses with an earned run average of 5.79 over 45 major league games (15 starts) and 124.1 innings. Nail excelled last year with 12 wins and 5 losses and an earned run average of 2.53 over 26 games, while his record against NC was overwhelming with two games, two wins, and an earned run average of 0.75.

Lotte will be making an away trip to Jamsil, where they will send left-handed ace Charlie Barnes, entering his fourth year. Barnes won 9 games last year, bringing his total in Korea to 32 wins, and managed a game against LG last year without a decision and an earned run average of 4.26.

In response, LG has opted for the new ace, Yoni Chirinos, to fill the gap left by Casey Kelly. Chirinos, like Doosan's Irvin, is also a former big leaguer, having recorded 20 wins and 17 losses with an earned run average of 4.22 over 75 major league games and 356.1 innings. In the 2024 season, he made six starts, pitching 30 innings with two losses and an earned run average of 6.30.

Lastly, in Suwon, Cody Ponce (Hanwha) will face Emmanuel De Jesus (KT). Ponce played 20 games (5 starts) in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020 and 2021, recording 1 win, 7 losses, and an earned run average of 5.86 over 55⅓ innings. He also has experience in Asian baseball, playing for the Nippon Ham Fighters from 2022 to 2023, and last year for the Rakuten Golden Eagles over three seasons. His total record over three seasons is 10 wins and 16 losses with an earned run average of 4.54.

KT has announced that they will start De Jesus, who was the ace for Kiwoom last year. De Jesus achieved 13 wins last year and ascended as one of the top left-handed aces in the KBO league before transferring to KT, beginning his second year in the league. His record against Hanwha last year was solid with two wins and one loss in five games and an earned run average of 3.00.

The deployment of foreign pitchers in all 10 teams for the opening game marks the first time in eight years since 2017.

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