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| Manager Kim Won-hyung / Photo = Kwon Kwang-il |
On the 12th at Icheon Bears Park, Doosan defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 9-7 in the opening exhibition of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.
Following last year’s 12 million attendance milestone and the buzz from the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), the game drew a sold-out crowd of 500 fans.
Riding the energy of a packed house, Doosan got a strong start to the season. Kim, who took over the club ahead of this year, celebrated a victory in his first official outing as manager.
Doosan’s starting lineup was: Jung Soo-bin (CF) - Park Chan-ho (SS) - Cameron (RF) - Yang Eui-ji (DH) - Ahn Jae-seok (3B) - Yang Seok-hwan (1B) - Oh Myung-jin (2B) - Kim Dae-han (LF) - Kim Ki-yeon (C).
Starter Flexen went 3 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, two walks, striking out eight and yielding no runs. He threw 73 pitches in all: 50 fastballs, 12 cutters, 9 curveballs, 1 slider and 1 changeup. His fastball reached a top speed of 150 km, dipped to 144 km and averaged 147 km.
Right-hander Lee Gyo-hoon, Doosan’s second pitcher, picked up the win after tossing two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits, one walk and one run.
Offensively, Jung Soo-bin and Lee Yoo-chan delivered homers to fuel the victory, while Kim In-tae and Yang Seok-hwan each recorded multi-hit games.
After the game, Kim said, "We prepared steadily in camp and executed our plan in the first exhibition game. Our regulars flipped the scoreboard early and set the tone, and the younger players finished a big inning late," expressing satisfaction with the performance.
He added, "It was disappointing to give up runs from the 7th to the 9th, but I expect better pitching moving forward. Flexen pitched well overall, relying on a heavy fastball, and he looked to be in good condition."
[Sports Today Reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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