▲ KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho looks out over the field before Game 3 of the 2026 Pro Baseball Playoffs between the KIA Tigers and Samsung Lions at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in South Jeolla and Gwangju Integrated City on October 29.
KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho, who has struggled with finding the right No. 2 batter, has played a bold card by deploying star hitter Kim Do-young as a table-setter.
Manager Lee placed Kim Do-young, who boasts the hottest bat among players from both teams with a .455 batting average (5 hits in 11 at-bats) through the first three playoff games, in the No. 2 spot for Game 4 of the playoff series (best-of-five) against the Samsung Lions at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on October 30.
Kim Do-young will take on the role of opening up attacking opportunities alongside leadoff hitter Park Jaehyun.
Trailing 1-2 in the series, the KIA Tigers will see their season end if they lose Game 4.
Having suffered from severe slumps in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots with just 2 hits in 24 at-bats across the first three games, KIA has put together a lineup featuring Park Jaehyun (left fielder), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Harold Castro (first baseman), Na Sung-bum (right fielder), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Han Jun-su (designated hitter), Ha Ju-suk (shortstop), Kim Tae-goon (catcher), and Park Jeongwoo (center fielder) in that batting order to face Samsung starting pitcher Chris Paddack in a must-win Game 4.
Manager Lee explained, "My first priority was to field players who have already faced Paddack's pitches in Game 1. Since our Nos. 1 and 2 batters have continuously felt blocked and this could be our final game, we couldn't afford to wait, so we moved the middle-of-the-order hitters up a step each."
He added, "We also considered that after the batting order goes through once, fast players like No. 9 hitter Park Jeongwoo and leadoff hitter Park Jaehyun could get on base and set up a scoring chance for Do-young."
Manager Lee particularly emphasized that Park Jaehyun's hit in his final plate appearance during yesterday's Game 3 will provide him with psychological stability for Game 4, stressing that the revival of leadoff hitter Park Jaehyun is even more important than the heart of the batting order.
Manager Lee also revealed his pitching strategy, stating that if starting pitcher James Nail, making his return after four days of rest, falters before the third inning, he will make an early call to Yang Hyeon-jong, and if Nail pitches five innings or more, he will deploy the high-leverage relief bullpen.
Finally, Manager Lee conveyed, "It is crucial for our batters to hit Paddack's pitches and score early. We expect him to pitch around 3 to 4 innings, and I told the players to approach the game with desperate resolve, knowing that if we fail to attack Paddack today, we lose."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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