The KIA Tigers will take a three-day break and begin its preparation training for the Korean Series from October 4. What attracts the most attention is the face of the starting first baseman, who is in a mystery along with the Korean Series entry list. KIA manager Lee Bum-ho said, "We will decide the starting first baseman by checking his condition during the training, which will continue for three weeks."
The KIA team, which finished its regular season schedule after the 2024 Shinhan Sol Bank KBO League against the Gwangju NC Dinos on September 30, will gather at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field again on the 4th after a three-day holiday from October 1st to 3rd.
Kia, which will be engaged in daytime training on Friday and Saturday, will have one day off on Sunday, spend the first day of training on Sunday and eight days of daytime training on Sunday, before engaging in its first practice game on Sunday. After that, the team will have one day off on Sunday, followed by another night training on Wednesday, another day off on Sunday, another day off on Sunday, another day off on Sunday, another day off on Sunday, another day off on Sunday, and another day off on Sunday.
Kia will hold its second practice game at night on Saturday, followed by daytime training on Saturday and its own Cheongbaek match on Sunday. Kia, which will take a break on Thursday and continue its training for three consecutive days on Wednesday and Thursday, will start its schedule in the Korean Series from Sunday.
Lee must first decide on the 30 entry players for the Korean Series. First of all, concerns are growing over whether to include Yoon Do-hyun, a next-generation infielder who displayed stellar performance at the end of the regular season along with a pinch runner and a substitute for the defense line in the second half of the game.
"I am agonizing over what to do with the infield entry first. I will not replace Park Chan-ho and Kim Do-young in the latter half of the game," Lee told reporters recently. "In case of Kim, he may need to replace Park Chan-ho and Kim Do-young with a pinch runner in the latter half of the game. That is why we need an infielder who can secure defense for one to two innings," Lee said. "Yoon can also pitch in the future. I am agonizing over whether to assign two or three seats to the fielders as a whole. I am also agonizing over whether to assign another spot to the outfield or the infield considering the situation in which the injury occurred."
In the pitcher's entry, the change is subject to change depending on the condition of the starting pitcher and the opposing team. Lee plans to think about the decision between the 13 or 14 pitchers.
"I have a limited number of positions as pitcher entries, but I am agonizing over who will be placed in the 1st or 2nd place depending on the opponent team," Lee said. "I am agonizing over who will be placed in the 1st or 2nd place depending on the number of pitchers I will be able to enter among the 13 or 14th place. It depends on the number of James Nail's first game appearances and who will be the 4th starting pitcher. If I add 2 to 3 players who will be able to play the role of long relievers, I think I can go with 13 players. If not, I could go with 14 players."
The biggest concern among the fielders is the starting and first baseman position. Lee, who once became the main first baseman, seems to have had little chance to boost his batting performance after recovering from a hamstring injury. He had no hits in 16 times at bat in six games at the end of the regular season. However, Lee said he could not predict who would recover his condition during the preparation process for the Korean Series.
Manager Lee said, 안전놀이터 "We are going to send Lee Woo-sung, Seo Geon-chang, and Byun Woo-hyuk to the starting first baseman position, depending on the opposing pitcher. I think that the player in the best condition should go out at that time in the Korean Series. At the end of the regular season, Seo Geon-chang and Byun Woo-hyuk were in good condition, and Lee Woo-sung was in bad condition. However, we don't know which player will be in good condition over the next three weeks. It is right to continue to check his condition while watching the practice game and decide on the starting lineup for the first game."