Tigers manager banking on top of lineup to do damage in KBO postseason game

GWANGJU — As the Kia Tigers open their Korean baseball postseason run Saturday at home, manager Lee Bum-ho said he will look to the top of his lineup to inflict damage on their opponent. The Tigers will host the LG Twins to begin the best-of-five first round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. Park Jae-hyun, one of the league's breakout stars this year with 19 homers and 21 steals, will bat leadoff, followed by the 2024 Korean Series MVP Kim Sun-bin. Then Kim Do-yeong, the 2024 regular-season MVP, will bat in his usual No. 3 spot, followed by Harold Castro and Na Sung-bum. Kim Do-yeong led the KBO with 45 homers in the regular season, while Castro and Na added 21 home runs and 31 home runs, respectively. "I think the game will come down to how well our first five batters will perform," Lee said in his pregame media availability. "Obviously, the bottom part of the lineup is also important, but our top guys will have to set the tone." Prior to this series, Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said kee