Ex-Rangers pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong to make KBO Opening Day start

All News 15:24 March 31, 2022

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- 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.

In this file photo from March 22, 2022, Yang Hyeon-jong of the Kia Tigers pitches against the Doosan Bears during the top of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization preseason game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

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, 330 kilometers south of Seoul. 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 preseason starts, though he did strike out 16 in 10 innings.

In this file photo from March 15, 2022, An Woo-jin of the Kiwoom Heroes pitches against the LG Twins during a Korea Baseball Organization preseason game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. (Yonhap)

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 Sky Dome in Seoul, ahead of American left-hander Eric Jokisch, who tied for the KBO lead last year with 16 wins and finished fourth with a 2.93 ERA.

Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said An represents the future of the ball club and he wanted An to get his first taste of an Opening Day start.

An went 8-8 with a 3.26 ERA last year and struck out 110 in 107 2/3 innings.

In this March 17, 2022, file photo provided by the NC Dinos, Drew Rucinski of the Dinos pitches against the Hanwha Eagles during a Korea Baseball Organization preseason game at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, some 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The Giants will have new American pitcher Charlie Barnes, who pitched to a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings in three preseason games.

For the Hanwha Eagles, Kim Min-woo will take on the Doosan Bears in his second straight Opening Day start. Manager Carlos Subero called him the Eagles' best South Korean starter after Kim won a career-high 14 games in 2021.

The Bears, as the home team at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, will counter with a first-year American starter, Robert Stock.

Stock got the nod ahead of Ariel Miranda, the 2021 regular season MVP who is sidelined with shoulder discomfort. Stock lived up to his billing as a hard thrower but was also a bit wild with his pitches. He issued five walks in 9 1/3 innings and allowed 10 runs -- seven earned -- for a 6.75 ERA in three preseason starts.

In this file photo from March 21, 2022, Robert Stock of the Doosan Bears pitches against the Kia Tigers during the bottom of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization preseason game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

Drew Rucinski will make his third straight Opening Day start for the NC Dinos, which will face the SSG Landers at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, some 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Rucinski led his team with a 3.17 ERA, 15 wins and 177 strikeouts last year and ranked third overall in the league in wins and Ks.

The Landers will counter with the second-year starter Wilmer Font, who had a team-high 157 strikeouts in 145 2/3 innings last season.

The defending Korean Series champions KT Wiz will start William Cuevas against the Samsung Lions at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. Cuevas pitched the Wiz to the Korean Series last year by shutting down the Lions for seven innings in a tiebreaker game last October.

The Samsung Lions will hand the ball to David Buchanan for the second straight Opening Day. The right-hander has been the team's best starter over the past two years, with a 31-12 record and a 3.28 ERA.