Bears open KBO postseason without injured star catcher

Bears open KBO postseason without injured star catcher

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The Doosan Bears will begin their postseason in Korean baseball Wednesday without injured All-Star catcher Yang Eui-ji.

Yang, considered one of the top two-way catchers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), is dealing with a collarbone injury. He has not played since Sept. 21.

"He is not yet good enough to be in the starting lineup," Bears manager Lee Seung-yuop said before his team hosted the KT Wiz in a wild card game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "He could play if he's at 70 to 80 스포츠 percent but he is not even there yet. He could catch but he still feels pain when he swings the bat."

Yang batted .314/.379/.479 this year, right along his career line, and tallied 17 homers and 94 RBIs, the third-highest total of his 18-year career.

Yang said he is trying to get ready for the next round of the postseason, should the Bears get there.

"I've been resting and taking some injections, but it's not gotten better," Yang said. "But if I can bear with this for a few more days, I should be able to play in the next round."

With 62 postseason games under his belt, Yang is one of the most experienced Bears players. He said he tried to stay out of younger players' way, instead of giving them unsolicited advice.

"These guys are cut different. They seem to enjoy these big games," Yang said. "I am trying to make things as comfortable for them as I can."

Even without Yang, Lee said the Bears should be ready to battle. As the fourth seed, the Bears only need a win or a tie Wednesday to advance to the next round.

The Bears' starter for Wednesday, Gwak Been, went 5-0 with a 1.51 ERA against the Wiz during the regular season.

"Gwak has been great against the Wiz and I hope he can eat up five to six innings," Lee said. "Then we have our relievers lined up to take care of the rest. That's the best-case scenario."

The Bears lost the wild card game to the NC Dinos last year, as Lee's first postseason lasted just one game. He said he has tried to learn from that early exit.

"We're not satisfied with finishing in fourth place, but my players have worked so hard to get this far," Lee said. "How we perform in the postseason will define our year but these guys will not be intimidated."

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