Tigers manager says likely sticking to same lineup after staying alive in KBO postseason

GWANGJU, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- After his team stayed alive in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason Friday with a much different lineup than previous games, Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho said he will likely stick with the same setup for the deciding game of the ongoing series.

The Tigers defeated the Samsung Lions 4-2 in Game 4 of the best-of-five second round at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju. With the teams knotted at two games apiece, the winner will be decided in Game 5 at 2 p.m. Sunday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu.

After the Tigers lost Games 2 and 3, Lee moved his big boppers up a spot in the order, with Kim Do-yeong batting second and Harold Castro hitting in the No. 3 spot.

Kim had two hits and scored twice, while Castro delivered an RBI single in the come-from-behind victory.

The Tigers had received little production from atop the lineup, especially from the No. 2 hole.

"I think I will keep this lineup intact. Going with the hot bats up top is the way to go about it," Lee said. "I know Do-yeong ran quite a bit today, and we will monitor his health after a day off tomorrow."

Castro, who had three hits in Game 1 but just one in the next two games combined, showed some signs of life in Friday's contest.

"I think the Lions have done a great job figuring out his weaknesses, but their pitchers will not be able to hit the same spot every time," Lee observed. "Castro is capable of pouncing on mistakes. The one hit he had today should set him up nicely going forward."

With a spot in the Korean Series at stake in Sunday's game, Lee predictably said it will be all-hands-on-deck when it comes to his bullpen usage.

Lions manager Park Jin-man rued the three errors his team committed in the game, the most critical one being third baseman Kim Young-woong's miscue that sparked a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh.

"Errors can happen. We have a game to play, and our players should forget about this one quickly," Park said. "We have guys with good fundamentals, and they must have realized a postseason game can turn on a small mistake."

The Lions could have closed out the series Friday, but Park said he was not concerned about the deflating effect this loss could have on his team before Sunday's game.

"We have been overcoming adversity throughout the year. Even in this series, some people saw us as underdogs," Park said. "We have worked hard to get this far. After a day off, I am sure our players will be ready to go with a fresh mindset Sunday."