Tigers manager counting on left-handed relievers to bounce back

GWANGJU, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho is relying on his left-handed relievers to bounce back in the ongoing South Korean baseball postseason series against the Samsung Lions. The Lions are batting left-handed, with star players Koo Ja-wook, Lewin Diaz and Choi Hyoung-woo leading the charge. This makes it challenging for the Tigers' bullpen, which currently lacks enough southpaw options to handle the Lions' potent lineup in late innings.

In Game 1, Lee Eui-lee pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to secure a relief win, but failed to record an out in Game 2, resulting in a 8-3 loss for the Tigers. Meanwhile, another left-hander, Kwak Do-gyu, has not received trust in crucial situations despite his solid regular season performance. Manager Lee Bum-ho hinted that Do-gyu, who is 22 years old, may not be 100% physically, which could impact his performance.

Lee Bum-ho acknowledged that using right-handers against the Lions' top batters isn't ideal. He firmly believes that only Do-gyu and Eui-lee can rise to the occasion and help the Tigers win games. Ideally, if starting pitcher Keisho Shirakawa performs well like he did in his previous postseason game, the manager won't have to worry as much about his bullpen usage.

In the previous series against the LG Twins, Shirakawa threw five innings of one-run ball and struck out nine batters. Lee hopes Shirakawa can cover at least five innings and limit damage to about three runs. With enough rest, velocity shouldn't be an issue. However, Lee remains cautious and has prepared a handful of relief pitchers to step in early in the game.