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| Veteran left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong will mark his KBO comeback with the Kia Tigers after a one-year stint with the Texas Rangers, as he takes the ball against the LG Twins. (Photo from The Lonestarball) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] SEOUL: Three homegrown starters, including a former MVP returning from the majors, will take the mound on the first day of the 2022 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season on Saturday. Managers of the 10 KBO clubs announced their Opening Day starting pitchers during the annual media day held in Seoul on Thursday. The new season starts at 2 p.m. at five stadiums across the country.
The veteran left-hander Yang Hyeon-jong will mark his KBO comeback with the Kia Tigers after a one-year stint with the Texas Rangers, as he takes the ball against the LG Twins at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju. This will be Yang's fifth Opening Day assignment. The 2017 Korean Series and regular-season MVP had also started the first game of the 2020 season. The Twins will have first-year starter Adam Plutko on the mound. The former major leaguer went 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in three preseasons starts, though he did strike out 16 in 10 innings.
Whereas Yang was a no-brainer choice for the Tigers, the Kiwoom Heroes' decision to start right-hander An Woo-jin comes as a surprise. The fifth-year fireballer received the Opening Day nod against the Lotte Giants at Gocheok SkyDome.
