Lions manager benches injured catcher for 1st time in postseason

After starting eight consecutive postseason games for the Samsung Lions despite dealing with an oblique injury, catcher Kang Min-ho was benched for the start of Game 4 of the Korean Series on Saturday.

Manager Park Jin-man replaced the 41-year-old Kang with the 26-year-old backstop Kim Do-hwan.

The Lions defeated the KT Wiz 5-1 in a Friday evening game to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship battle, and the teams will have a quick turnaround for an afternoon game Saturday.

"We have the back-to-back night game and day game, and he was just about to collapse," Park said of Kang, who is batting 0-for-6 in this series but had remained in the lineup for his defensive contributions. "I just felt this was the right time to get him off his feet."

Kim will make his first career postseason start, and he will catch an even younger pitcher in the 19-year-old starter Jang Chan-hee. This is also the first postseason start for Jang, a third-round pick in the 2025 Korea Baseball Organization draft.

"I hope these two will bring some energy out there today," Park said. "Chan-hee has always been a fearless type, regardless of when he takes the mound. I hope he goes right after hitters just like he did during the regular season."

If Jang falters early, Park said he will have every available relief pitcher ready to step in right away. The only three that will not take the ball Saturday are Ariel Jurado, who started Friday; Won Tae-win, who will start Saturday; and Chris Paddack, who started Wednesday and will get the ball for Game 6 on Tuesday if the series goes that far.

Managing in his second Korean Series after losing to the Kia Tigers in 2024, Park said he learned a great deal from that experience.

"After that loss, I decided I should be more aggressive with my in-game decisions," Park said. "I think it is always better to regret doing something than regret not doing anything."