It has only been four days since the opening, but the winning king, the right-handed finishing lineup, and the left-handed finishing lineup have all disappeared. In a situation of three consecutive losses since the opening, the shoulders of Choi Seung-yong, known as 'the man of Sun Dong-kyul', are heavier than ever.

The Doosan Bears are preparing for their second season match against the KT Wiz in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 26th.

The first showdown the previous day was a 3-8 defeat for Doosan. In place of Kwak Bin, who left the team with an injury to his internal rotation muscle just before the opening, Choi Won-jun, the 'original native ace', started but struggled with 4 innings, 6 hits (1 home run), 2 walks, 1 strikeout, and 3 earned runs. Except for the third inning, which was a perfect inning, he allowed the lead-off batter in every inning and recorded 84 pitches in just 4 innings.

The fifth inning, after Choi Won-jun was taken out, was truly chaotic. With the score tied at 3-3, the lefty Kim Ho-jun, who fulfilled his dream of making the opening roster, struck out Kang Baek-ho with a swinging strikeout and got Mel Rojas Jr. to ground out to first base, making it seem like a close match was expected. However, after giving up a decisive solo home run to Heo Gyeong-min and allowing a hit to Kim Min-hyeok, he was replaced by Choi Jun-ho.

Choi Jun-ho was also shaken. He walked Jang Seong-woo on a straight walk and hit Cheon Seong-ho with a hit by pitch, causing a bases-loaded crisis, and then allowed a 3-RBI double to Hwang Jae-kyun and a 1-RBI hit to Bae Jeong-dae, lowering his head.

Doosan, just before the opening, along with Kwak Bin, also lost the finishing lineup member Hong Geon-hee due to a diagnosis of elbow ligament damage. As if that weren't enough, Lee Byeong-heon, who achieved the youngest 20 holds last year in the KBO League, was also removed from the first team due to symptoms of gastroenteritis just before the game on the 25th. Manager Lee Seung-yeop tried to stop the KT lineup urgently with the cards of Kim Ho-jun and Choi Jun-ho after Choi Won-jun went down, but the two players allowed 5 earned runs, losing the momentum.

On the other hand, KT's starting pitcher Koh Young-pyo pitched 4⅔ innings, allowing 8 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, and 3 earned runs, followed by Kim Min-soo, Son Dong-hyun, Woo Gyu-min, and Choi Dong-hwan, who showcased relay pitching. In the lineup, Bae Jeong-dae led the offense with 3 hits, while Kang Baek-ho, Heo Gyeong-min, and Kim Min-hyeok had multi-hits. Heo Gyeong-min decorated his first home run since joining with a decisive home run against his former team.

Doosan, caught in a swamp of three consecutive losses since the opening, is at 0 wins and 3 losses, while KT, who recorded two consecutive wins after the opening day defeat, improved to 2 wins and 1 loss.

Doosan has announced Choi Seung-yong as the starting pitcher for their first win of the season. Choi Seung-yong, who was picked 20th in the second round of the 2021 Doosan draft, is a left-handed prospect; he recorded 2 wins, no losses, and 1 hold with an ERA of 6.00 over 12 games last season, and based on his experience starting in the Premier 12 match against Japan, he was selected as the fourth starter this year. He warmed up with 2 games, 1 win, no losses, and an ERA of 4.00 in the practice games and had a rough outing against KT last year as a starter, allowing 3 earned runs in 1⅔ innings.

Choi Seung-yong became a topic of discussion in February 2022 at the Ulsan Spring Camp in his second year since joining the team. At that time, 'National Treasure' former manager Sun Dong-kyul transformed into a one-day pitching instructor for the Bears and closely observed the Doosan pitchers, praising Choi Seung-yong with the remark, "I seriously have nothing to say to you," and he became known as 'the man of Sun Dong-kyul' from that moment.

In response, KT played the card of So Hyeong-jun. So Hyeong-jun was the first overall pick in the 2020 KT draft and the Rookie of the Year. However, he was limited to only 2 wins, no losses, and an ERA of 3.24 in 6 games last year due to the effects of elbow surgery. After steadily undergoing rehabilitation, he has been selected as the fourth starter and will begin his first full-time season since returning from injury.

So Hyeong-jun's practice game record shows he has no wins or losses in 2 games, with 1 hold and an ERA of 0, and he will face Doosan for the first time in three years since 2022. Since joining the team until 2022, he has pitched against Doosan in 14 games (13 starts), achieving 9 wins and 1 loss with an ERA of 1.64, earning him the nickname 'Bear Killer.'

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