The Doosan Bears are coming off a solid win over the KIA Tigers last weekend, and this week they face the inevitable four-game series against the NC Dinos. This week’s results will determine whether the Bears will fall back into the chaotic top-five battle, or if they can make a serious push for third place.
Doosan opens the season on September 19 against the Jamsil NC. Jang Won-jun and Eric Peddie will be on the mound. Pedi, who leads the league in ERA (2.21) this season, is arguably the league’s strongest ace pitcher. It’s an asymmetrical matchup from Doosan’s perspective, with veteran left-hander Jang Won-jun as the de facto replacement starter. On top of that, they’ll have to face Pedi in a two-game series against Changwon NC this weekend. The awkward starting matchups continue into the weekend.
Doosan coach Lee Seung-yeop met with the media before the game on the 19th and said, “I was wondering if we were avoiding Pedi, but we’re facing him twice this week (laughs). It’s one thing to avoid him, but it’s also a chance for us to get a bigger result and become stronger if we win against him. We don’t know the outcome, but we have to play them once.”
Doosan head coach Lee Seung-yeop expressed his determination to face NC four times this week. Photo by Kim Young-gu
Doosan will meet NC’s top ace Pedi twice this week.
Doosan will send its main starting pitcher Kwak Bin to the Hangzhou Asian Games team after his start against the Gwangju KIA Tigers on the 18th. Kwak-Bin’s six-inning, 102-pitch, eight-hit, five-strikeout, no-walk quality start on Aug. 18, along with his 11th win of the season, will allow him to prepare for the national team with more peace of mind.
“It was an important day for our team and for the national team. I’m happy that Kwak Bin can go to the national team with a good start and a clear head. I hope that when he goes to the national team, he will put aside his worries about our team and focus on the national team. He said he’s going to put his heart and soul into it, so I think that’s a good attitude (laughs). We didn’t perform well in the recent Olympics and WBC, so I hope that Kwak Bin will be able to come back with his teammates in this Asian Games, which is dominated by young players.”안전놀이터
Doosan will replace Kwak-Bin with right-hander Kim Dong-Joo. Doosan will start Jang Won-jun on the 19th of this week, followed by Choi Seung-yong, Brandon Kim, Dong-joo, and Alcantara. Choi, who is back from a finger blister injury, will be the 1+1 behind Jang on the 19th. The starting pitcher for the 24th game against Changwon NC will also be decided depending on the outcome of the game.
Meanwhile, Doosan will face Pedi on the 19th with a starting batting order of Jung Soo-bin (center fielder), Kim Jae-ho (shortstop), Yang Suk-hwan (designated hitter), Yang Ji (catcher), Rojas (left fielder), Kang Seung-ho (first baseman), Park Jun-young (third baseman), Park Kye-beom (second baseman), and Cho Su-hyung (right fielder). Pitcher Choi Won-jun and outfielder Kim Dae-rae were added to the roster after the team canceled pitcher Kwak Bin and outfielder Kim Tae-geun.
Lee said, “Kim Tae-geun suffered a bruise when he hit the fence while fielding in the weekend game two days ago. He’s going to be out for a while, so I called up Kim Dae-hyun, who has a similar style, to the first team.