The foreign pitcher for the Samsung Lions, Ariel Hurado, has taken on the role of starting pitcher for the regular season opener. The opponent is the Kiwoom Heroes, where he played until last year.

He appeared in 60 games over two years with Kiwoom from 2023, achieving 21 wins and 16 losses with an earned run average of 3.01. He secured 10 wins for two consecutive years and showcased his endurance by consuming over 180 innings each year.

Kiwoom's Song Seong-moon and Lee Joo-hyung expressed confidence in their matchup against Hurado at the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Media Day & Fan Fest, held at the Lotte Hotel World in Seoul on the 20th.

They were asked, "Who do you think would be more difficult between Hurado and Emmanuel De Jesus (KT), with whom you played until last year?"

In response, Song Seong-moon said, "Right-handed Hurado is easier to face than lefty De Jesus. After facing De Jesus, I found it hard to hit against him." Lee Joo-hyung added, "I have many good memories at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, so I think Hurado would be better than De Jesus."

This season, Hurado, who is referred to as Samsung's "champion maker," recorded a somewhat disappointing performance in the exhibition games, with a loss and an earned run average of 9.39. In his first appearance on the 10th against Doosan, he struggled with 3⅔ innings pitched, allowing 5 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 5 while giving up 3 runs. On the 16th against KIA in Gwangju, he again faltered, pitching 4 innings with 10 hits allowed, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and 6 runs.

However, head coach Park Jin-man was not worried about Hurado's struggles in the exhibition games. He said, "The exhibition games are part of the development process. In the second appearance on the 16th, he had practiced with some different pitches as well."

He also added, "The coaching staff primarily assesses his pitching performance. Hurado's pitching is at a certain level now, so I am not overly concerned." On the 16th, although the weather in Gwangju was quite chilly, Hurado delivered fastballs with a maximum speed of 148 km/h.

According to coach Park Jin-man, Hurado expressed confidence, saying, "I know all the weaknesses of the Kiwoom batters." Will he be able to educate his old teammates, who called him "easy?"

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