Doosan Bears of professional baseball failed to extend their winning streak. The silence of the lineup was painful, but Lee Young-ha, who started for the first time in a while, collapsed early.
Doosan lost 0-6 in an away game against the SSG Landers in the 2026 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 15th. That day, starting pitcher Lee Young-ha took the loss after allowing 5 hits (1 home run), striking out 7, issuing 4 walks and giving up 3 runs over 3 innings.
Doosan remained in ninth place with a 5-9-1 record in 15 games after the loss on the 15th. A rebound is necessary. For that, more stability in the starting rotation is needed. If a starting pitcher collapses early like in the previous day's game, the bullpen cannot hold up over the long run.
Second-year player Choi Min-seok is earning manager Kim Won-hyung's trust by pitching boldly, trusting his stuff. For Doosan to climb, starting pitchers must hold up reliably like this. In that respect, there is positive news for Doosan.
Due to Chris Flexen's right shoulder injury, Doosan chose Wes Benjamin as a six-week replacement foreign player. Benjamin's arrival is imminent. Visa issues are taking time, but the pitching condition checked before joining the first team is good.
Benjamin threw 3 innings, allowed 4 hits, walked 1, struck out 6 and gave up 1 run in a practice game against Yeongdong University at Bears Park in Icheon on the 15th. He threw 48 pitches, and his fastball reached a top speed of 148 km/h. He evenly checked his repertoire, including a curve, slider, changeup and sweeper.
Doosan futures analysis team evaluated that the overall pitching balance, tempo and control were all good.
Manager Kim Won-hyung said, "I was told Benjamin's velocity came out well in today's appearance and he overall pitched well," and said, "He can make another appearance on Tuesday the 21st by the calendar. Whether that will be for the first team or the second team needs to be discussed with the coaching staff."
Kim added, "Ideally he would pitch once in the second team and then appear for the first team, but if the team situation does not allow, we will look at the 21st or 22nd. If he appears, we need to set a pitch count limit."
Benjamin pitched 406⅓ innings over three seasons from 2022 while with KT, compiling a 31-18 record and a 3.74 earned run average. He is a proven pitcher. Expectations are growing over whether Benjamin can join Doosan's starting rotation and strengthen it.<
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