Despite finishing ninth in last year's regular season and lingering near ninth again this year, the Doosan Bears, led by the resurgent Kwak Bin, will attempt to claim their first winning series of the season.
The professional baseball team Doosan Bears will face the SSG Landers in their third matchup of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League season at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 16th. It is the final game of the three-game weekday series.
Doosan exchanged one win apiece with SSG in the previous two games. Riding the boost from newly acquired Son Ah-seop, who was acquired in a surprise trade on the first day, they recorded an 11-3 rout, but the next day they suffered a 0-6 shutout due to the struggling spot starter Lee Young-ha, who allowed three runs in three innings, and the lineup's severe inability to hit with runners in scoring position.
In the game on the 15th, Doosan failed to score despite collecting six hits and five walks. Four double plays proved fatal. Starting with Park Jun-soon hitting into a double play with one out and one on in the top of the first, An Jae-seok hit into a double play with no outs and runners on first and second in the top of the second, Yoon Jun-ho did the same with no outs and a runner on first in the top of the fifth, and Daz Cameron hit a double play with one out and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, dousing the momentum of the comeback.
Doosan ranks 10th in team batting average (.236) and sits near the bottom in various team hitting metrics including home runs (10), on-base percentage (.325), batting average with runners in scoring position (.233) at eighth, and tied for seventh in runs scored (69). That explains why they acquired veteran Son Ah-seop from the Hanwha Eagles, even giving up a right-handed pitcher who completed military service and 150 million won in cash. Although the lineup seemed to awaken thanks to Son Ah-seop's effect on the first day of the SSG series, they suffered the humiliation of a shutout the next day after hitting into four double plays.
Doosan announced that homegrown ace Kwak Bin will start for the team's first winning series of the season. Kwak's season record stands at three appearances with no wins, one loss, and a 4.30 ERA; in his most recent start on the 10th against the Suwon KT Wiz he rebounded with six innings, one hit allowed, four walks, nine strikeouts and no runs, but the bullpen's collapse deprived him of his first win.
Kwak showed strength against SSG last year with three appearances, one win, one loss and a 1.59 ERA. He had dominated at the hitter-friendly Incheon SSG Landers Field with two appearances, one win, no losses and a 0.75 ERA. It remains to be seen whether he can again shut down SSG's lineup, which ended a six-game losing streak with six runs the previous day.
SSG countered by bringing out their No. 1 starter Mitch White. White's season record is three starts, one win, one loss and a 7.36 ERA; in his most recent start on the 10th against the Jamsil LG Twins he was roughed up, lasting 3 2/3 innings while allowing eight hits (one home run), four walks, five strikeouts and five runs, and was charged with the loss.
Last year against Doosan he did not have much success, going three games with one win, one loss and a 5.68 ERA.
Doosan stands at 5 wins, 1 draw, 9 losses and ninth place for the season, while SSG is 8 wins, 7 losses and tied for fourth. The gap between the two teams is 2.5 games, and the winner of the day will take the weekday three-game series.
[OSEN]