SEOUL, After dropping the opening game of their South Korean baseball postseason series Sunday, the SSG Landers will send veteran ace Kim Kwang-hyun looking to even things up.

The Landers will have veteran left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun on the hill against the NC Dinos in Game 2 of the first round series in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason Monday.

SSG Landers starter Kim Kwang-hyun pitches against the Doosan Bears during the teams’ Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Oct. 17, 2023. (Yonhap)

The Dinos, after taking the first game 4-3 Sunday, will have right-hander Song Myung-gi.

On paper, the Dinos look overwhelmed in this starting pitching matchup.

Kim, a five-time Korean Series champion, went 9-8 with a 3.53 ERA in 30 regular season starts.

He faced the Dinos three times this year, posting a 1-1 record and a 3.31 ERA across 16 1/3 innings.

For the Dinos, Son Ah-seop, the regular season batting champion, batted 3-for-6 against Kim, and Jason Martin batted 3-for-7 off the left-hander.

Song, who split his time between the rotation and the bullpen this year, went 4-9 with a 4.83 ERA. He pitched relatively well against the Landers, with a 2.38 ERA and a 0-1 record in four starts.

Dinos ace Erick Fedde, the Triple Crown winner as the KBO leader in wins (20), ERA (2.00) and strikeouts (209), will be held out for at least another game. He took a batted ball to his right forearm during his most recent start Monday. He threw 19 pitches in the bullpen prior to Sunday’s game and could be ready to pitch Game 3 on Wednesday.

Source: Yonhap News Agency