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| Lee Sung-yong, manager / Photo=DB |
SSG will host the Samsung Lions at Incheon SSG Landers Field on March 17 in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League matchup.
Before the game, SSG announced its starting lineup.
SSG will start Park Seong-han (SS) - Eredia (LF) - Choi Jeong (3B) - Kim Jae-hwan (DH) - Go Myung-jun (1B) - Han Yoo-seom (RF) - Choi Ji-hoon (CF) - Jo Hyung-woo (C) - Jung Jun-jae (2B).
The starting pitcher will be Beniziano.
Ahead of the game, Manager Lee met with reporters.
No Kyung-eun and Cho Byung-hyun, who represented Korea in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, have rejoined the club. Lee said Kyung-eun looked thinner when he saw him yesterday and again briefly earlier, noting he’s lost about 4 kg (about 8.8 lb). “I told him to eat more and manage his conditioning,” Lee said. “Byung-hyun looked great. He went to represent the country and worked hard, so now I hope he manages himself well and delivers a solid season for the team.”
Lee added that both Kyung-eun and Byung-hyun performed well last year and he expected them to fulfill their roles at the WBC. With positive results behind them, Lee said the experience should be beneficial. “They’ll take tomorrow off and rejoin us the day after. We’ll check the pitching staff’s condition and decide when to use them,” he said.
By fielding his top lineup, SSG has kicked off full-scale preparations for the season opener. “Today’s lineup brings out all the regulars; I think this will likely be our regular-season lineup,” Lee said.
“I’ve mostly finalized the overall plan. The only real question left is the fifth starter,” he added. “We named the first through fourth starters during camp and notified them. The opening-day starter will be White, and those pitchers are preparing accordingly.”
The race for the fifth starter has narrowed, Lee said, with Jeon Young-jun and Choi Min-jun currently the leading candidates. “We’ll keep an eye on Lee Ki-sun a bit longer,” he noted.
On Kim Kwang-hyun’s shoulder issue sustained during camp, Lee said there isn’t much to report yet. “I can’t say much at the moment. We’ll see how he throws after completing rehab. He says he can pitch at least 60 percent, but we need to assess the level of pain when he throws. We don’t yet know if surgery will be necessary. First, he has to be pain-free, and then we can calculate a return date. He only needs to stay in Japan a few more days and should be back this month,” Lee said.
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seoyoung sports@stoo.com]
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