Tigers manager not surprised by opponent’s lineup changes in KBO postseason

Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho said Tuesday he was not surprised by substantial changes to the lineup of his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason opponent.

The Tigers beat the Samsung Lions 5-1 to begin their best-of-five series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu on Monday. The Lions, after managing just two hits in the loss, put veteran slugger Choi Hyoung-woo back in the lineup for Tuesday. Outfielder Park Seung-kyu moved up from the No. 5 spot to the No. 2 hole in the order, too.

Choi was held out of the lineup initially because there was no designated spot available for him, and he is largely regarded as a defensive liability. But Park said earlier in the day he will prioritize offense in Game 2.

Lee said his pitchers will be ready to handle whatever comes their way, with four left-handed batters in the middle for the Lions.

“I expected Hyoung-woo to get the start today, and also figured Seung-kyu would hit higher up in the order, too,” Lee said. “We will have some left-handed relievers ready to go when the situation calls for it. As far as our game plans go, it is not such a bad situation for us.”

Lee himself made some changes, with outfielder Lee Ho-yeon drawing in for Park Jung-woo and batting second against Lions starter Ariel Jurado.

Lee Ho-yeon has batted 3-for-5 in his career against the Panamanian pitcher. He will be the designated hitter behind Park Jae-hyun, who batted second in Monday’s win but will lead things off Tuesday.

“Ho-yeon has done well against Jurado. He is one of the few guys on our team who has made good contact against Jurado,” the manager said. “I felt the top two spots in our lineup would be critical in this game, and I wanted to see him and Jae-hyun do their thing up top.”