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| Lee Yu-chan / Photo: Kwon Kwang-il |
Doosan defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 9-7 in the opening exhibition game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League on March 12 at Icheon Bears Park.
Riding the momentum from last year’s 12 million total attendance and the recent World Baseball Classic, the ballpark sold out with 500 fans on hand. The victory in front of a packed house gave Doosan an upbeat start to the new season.
Doosan’s starting lineup that day was Jung Soo-bin (center), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Cameron (right), Yang Eui-ji (designated hitter), Ahn Jae-seok (third), Yang Seok-hwan (first), Oh Myung-jin (second), Kim Dae-han (left) and Kim Ki-yeon (catcher).
Flexen got the start for Doosan and worked 3.1 innings, allowing three hits, issuing two walks and striking out eight without surrendering a run. He threw 73 pitches: 50 fastballs, 12 cutters, nine curveballs, one slider and one changeup. His fastball topped out at 150 km/h (93 mph), dipped to 144 km/h (89.5 mph) and averaged 147 km/h (91 mph).
Lee Gyo-hoon came on in relief and recorded the win after 0.2 innings, giving up two hits, one walk and one run.
At the plate, Jung Soo-bin and Lee Yu-chan homered, while Kim In-tae and Yang Seok-hwan contributed multi-hit games.
Lee’s long ball proved to be the turning point. He began the game on the bench and entered in the top of the sixth, replacing Park Chan-ho at shortstop before his first plate appearance.
With two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the sixth and Doosan leading 4-2, Lee faced Yoon Seok-won and connected on the second pitch — a 135 km/h (84 mph) fastball — sending a three-run homer to put the game out of reach.
After the game, Lee told reporters the count was in his favor. \"The count worked for me. I was prepared to be aggressive even if I missed, and the earlier contact set me up. It came together and produced a good result,\" he said.
\"Honestly, I didn’t expect it to clear the fence. I think the wind helped a bit. I felt the point of contact was up front, which was a positive. I didn’t square it up perfectly, but the timing matched what I was thinking. Beyond the homer, I just came away from the first exhibition game with a lot of positive feelings,\" he added.
Lee also talked about his role this season. \"Right now I’m spending most of my time at second base and shortstop. My goal is to be the everyday second baseman, but if that doesn’t happen I’ll focus on making the plays I can on the field. I’m keeping a positive mindset and working toward that,\" he said.
On the competition for infield starts, he noted, \"Players definitely feel the competition, but it’s not very visible. Even though it’s a contest for playing time, the infielders are close off the field, so we’re just enjoying it.\"
Regarding newcomer Park Chan-ho, Lee said, \"Chan-ho has been really welcoming. He approaches the game seriously and has a lot of experience, so there’s a lot to learn from him as a fellow infielder. He’s been a mental mentor for me — our styles are similar, so I watch and pick up things from him.\"
\"In the past couple of years I felt like I was only trying to 'show' my baseball. Now I’m focusing on the baseball I can actually play. I’m concentrating more on myself. For the exhibition games, I’m less worried about results and more interested in seeing how the work from camp translates. I don’t plan to be overly concerned with outcomes,\" he said.
On what he’s emphasizing during the exhibition slate, Lee said, \"We need to check everything, but defensively I want to give people a sense of stability. At the plate it’s more technical: I’m working on keeping my head from drifting forward.\"
Lee also weighed in on the 2026 World Baseball Classic. \"I didn’t catch every game, but I could feel how players attacked every pitch with everything they had. It was really impressive. I hope we can be a team that fights for every pitch with that kind of grit and determination,\" he said.
He praised the veteran presence displayed in the WBC: \"They were doing whatever it took to score a run and to prevent one. What stood out was when Son Joo-young left hurt and No Kyung-eun said he’d shut things down — and he did. The confidence veterans give you feels different. I hope they keep up the good results into the quarterfinals,\" he added.
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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