The professional baseball LG Twins will face the Lotte Giants in the opening game.
LG will hold its 2025 KBO League opening game against Lotte at 2 p.m. on the 22nd at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. The starting pitchers for both teams were revealed at the media day on the 20th. LG will have Yoni Chirinos, while Lotte will start Charlie Barnes.
Chirinos is a new foreign pitcher acquired by LG this year for an aggregate total of $1 million. He recorded 1 win and 1 loss with an earned run average of 5.63 in 2 exhibition games. His fastball, clocking in the late 140 km/h range, is impressive, and he throws various breaking balls.
LG announced its starting lineup with four right-handed batters against left-hander Barnes.
Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (left fielder), Austin (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Song Chan-eui (designated hitter), Park Dong-won (catcher), Park Hae-min (center fielder), and Koo Bon-hyuk (second baseman) will be in the starting lineup.
Right-handed batters Song Chan-eui and Koo Bon-hyuk have been given starting opportunities instead of regulars Moon Sung-joo and Shin Min-jae. Kim Hyun-soo will bat second in place of Moon Sung-joo, who returned from a minor back injury and played only one game at the end of the exhibition season.
LG has performed well against Barnes. Barnes' career record against LG, since joining Lotte in 2022, includes 9 games with 2 wins and 5 losses, and an earned run average of 4.94. In the last 2 years, he has not secured a victory against LG.
Barnes recorded 2 wins and 2 losses with an earned run average of 3.09 in 4 games against LG in 2022. However, in 2023, he had 3 losses and no wins in 4 games against LG, with an earned run average of 7.64. He allowed 4 or more earned runs in 3 games. Last year, he started one game against LG, in which he pitched 6⅓ innings, allowed 6 hits, 2 home runs, 3 walks, and struck out 5, leaving without a decision. In the last 2 years, he has no wins against LG and has a record of 3 losses with an earned run average of 6.75.
In the last 2 years, the performance of LG batters against Barnes includes Hong Chang-ki with 5 hits in 9 at-bats (batting average .556), Park Dong-won with 4 hits in 8 at-bats and 1 home run (batting average .500), Moon Sung-joo with 4 hits in 9 at-bats (batting average .444), Kim Hyun-soo with 5 hits in 14 at-bats (batting average .357), Moon Bo-kyung with 2 hits in 8 at-bats and 1 home run (batting average .250), Austin with 3 hits in 12 at-bats (batting average .250), Park Hae-min with 2 hits in 9 at-bats (batting average .222), Oh Ji-hwan with no hits in 8 at-bats (batting average .000), Shin Min-jae with no hits in 6 at-bats (batting average .000), and Koo Bon-hyuk with no hits in 3 at-bats (batting average .000). Song Chan-eui has not faced him.
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