Seoul:Two fierce rivals, the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears, are set to face each other in the opening game of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. Both teams share Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul as their home, which will soon be demolished to make way for a new domed stadium.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the LG Twins, as the fourth seed, will host the Doosan Bears, the fifth seed, in the wild card round at 630 p.m. on Wednesday. The Twins will move on to the next round with either a win or a tie. If they lose, they will have another chance to advance with a game scheduled for 630 p.m. on Thursday. The Bears must secure two consecutive victories to progress.
Carlos Carrasco, a former major leaguer with a record of 6-3 and a 4.05 ERA since joining the Twins in July, will start for the Twins. He previously delivered a standout performance against the Bears on August 1. Opposing him is Gwak Been of the Bears, who leads the KBO with a 2.24 ERA and 197 strikeouts this season.
This marks the seventh postseason meeting between the two teams, with their final match at Jamsil before its demolition. The Twins have dominated the season series, winning 11 of 16 games. However, the team has struggled with injuries, dropping from first to fourth place. The Bears have maintained their position in fifth place, securing their seed last week.
The Twins face challenges in their bullpen, ranked fifth with a 5.05 ERA. They will be missing veteran Kim Jin-sung due to a shoulder injury, and closer Go Woo-suk is ineligible for postseason play. Closer Son Ju-young is also sidelined with a neck spasm, leaving the Twins to opt for a closer-by-committee strategy.
The Bears will be without infielder Park Jun-soon, who is out with a thigh injury. Despite this, the Bears bring strong pitching and are prepared to compete with eight infielders and three catchers, while the Twins have nine infielders and two catchers.
Offensively, the Twins feature slugger Austin Dean, who finished third in home runs and RBIs during the regular season. While the Bears have ranked below average in offense, their pitching strength and aggressive base-running, with the second-most steals in the league, may be key to their success.