Professional baseball SSG Landers manager Lee Seung-yong smiled at the thrilling season-opening victory.
Lee Seung-yong said in an interview before the match against the Doosan Bears at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 23rd, "Honestly, since it was the opening game, I really wanted to win."
SSG achieved a comeback victory of 6-5 against Doosan in the opening match on the 22nd. Despite being behind by one run, manager Lee Seung-yong sent all his winning pitchers, including Kim Min, Noh Kyung-eun, and Jo Byung-hyun, into the game, and Oh Tae-gon hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, starting the season with a pleasant comeback victory.
Lee Seung-yong reflected on the previous game, saying, "The situation of the game yesterday was that we scored three points first, so I thought we couldn't let this slip away. I saw the eighth inning as the key moment. I had a feeling that if we could overcome this crisis, an opportunity would come. So, although I normally shouldn't use a closing pitcher like that, I thought we should take a chance. Thanks to the players not giving up and going all the way, we were able to win the opening game in front of a full crowd."
In the bottom of the eighth inning, with one out and a runner on first base while trailing 4-5, Lee Seung-yong used Oh Tae-gon as a pinch hitter for Hwang Jae-hoon, saying, "(H) Jae-hoon is strong against fastballs, but after watching him hit a single and in two at-bats yesterday, I felt like he wouldn't be able to handle it. So, I told (Oh) Tae-gon to be prepared. In the end, I consulted with coach Kang Byeong-sik, and he suggested it would be better to switch. Our thoughts aligned, and I made the substitution, and it was really well hit. He himself was surprised to hit it. All the team members were well prepared, and the good result was encouraging."
SSG's starting lineup consisted of Choi Ji-hoon (center fielder), Jeong Jun-jae (second baseman), Guillermo Heredia (left fielder), Han Yoo-seom (designated hitter), Lee Ji-young (catcher), Hwang Jae-hoon (right fielder), Ko Myeong-jun (first baseman), Ahn Sang-hyun (shortstop), and Park Ji-hwan (third baseman). The starting pitcher is Kim Gwang-hyun.
Park Seong-han, who faced Doosan's left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin's fastball clocked at 147 km/h during the second inning of the last game, was excluded from today's starting lineup. Lee Seung-yong explained, "(Park) Seong-han might have a bit of difficulty batting today, so he will probably only play as a substitute defensive player. We plan to do an X-ray tomorrow. It doesn't seem to be a serious injury. I just took him out of the starting lineup for the sake of player protection."
Franchise ace Kim Gwang-hyun will make his first appearance of the season today. Lee Seung-yong said, "I have a general idea of the pitch count, but I will try to catch the timing for a substitution depending on the situation. Depending on the situation, I could go further or change quickly. Since it's the first appearance, I will try not to push him too hard. However, I will keep an eye on the situation and make a decision."
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