Bears manager moving starter Logue to bullpen for KBO postseason

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) -- Doosan Bears manager Kim Won-hyong announced Monday his American starting pitcher Zach Logue will pitch out of the bullpen during the upcoming South Korean baseball postseason.

With one final regular-season game left Monday evening, the Bears have long clinched the fifth seed in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and a spot in the wild card round. It will start Wednesday against the No. 4 seed -- either the Kia Tigers or the LG Twins, who were to play each other Monday with the winner grabbing the third seed and the loser finishing in fourth place.

The lower-seeded team will be at a disadvantage in the wild card phase, as it will have to win two straight games on the road. The higher-seeded team, though, only needs a tie or a win in two tries to advance to the next round.

With that arrangement in mind, Kim said he saw no point in saving starting pitchers for later rounds, when the immediate goal is to get past the wild card stage.

"We have to win two straight games and we cannot afford to get ahead of ourselves," Kim told reporters before hosting the Lotte Giants at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "In postseason games, you can never predict what can happen. Maybe our starter will be roughed up after just a few innings. In that case, we will need someone to eat up multiple innings in the middle. We will need every pitcher available other than our potential Game 2 starter."

Gwak Been, the regular-season leader in ERA and strikeouts, is the no-brainer choice as Game 1 starter in the wild card round. Either Wes Benjamin or Choi Min-seok, both coming off strong regular seasons, will likely take the mound in Game 2 if the Bears force that.

Logue had an up-and-down second season in the KBO this year, going 8-7 with a 4.27 ERA before Monday -- compared to a 10-8 record and a 2.81 ERA last year. Logue also saw his walk rate go up and strikeout rate fall this year compared to 2025.

In a conversation with Yonhap News Agency prior to Kim's media scrum, Logue attributed his lack of consistency to an increased familiarity among KBO hitters against him.

"I feel like I threw a lot of strikes and I wasn't walking guys. I think there is definitely an aspect of luck for that," he said. "Also, I have pitched against a lot of these hitters for several games now so they have seen my stuff. That is not an excuse but it just makes things a little bit more difficult and I need to be a little bit more precise sometimes. There have been probably times where I wasn't as precise as I needed to be and I paid for it."

On the flip side, Logue also noted making adjustments against certain hitters to enjoy better success against them than a season ago.

And after the Bears missed the postseason in 2025, Logue said he was looking forward to playing some meaningful baseball in October, regardless of his role.

"It has been a lot more fun for me to be a part of a winning team. So I am really looking forward to going into the postseason and seeing what we can do," he said. "I think our team stacks up really well so I am excited to get there and hopefully make a little run. I think our pitching can pitch well against anybody. We are ready to go wherever and a really good pitching staff I think is what ultimately wins you a championship."

The left-hander has some experience pitching in relief both in the majors and minors in the United States. Kim said Logue volunteered to come out of the bullpen at some point during Monday's game.

"We have to think about the best pitching strategies that can help us win two games in the wild card round," Kim said. "If we are successful that way, then someone will emerge from the pile as a strong option."

Kim insisted he had no preference as to which of the Tigers or the Twins he would rather face in the wild card stage.

"What we do is more important than who our opponent will be," Kim said. "Of course, maybe they will both use a lot of pitchers tonight and their bullpen may be gassed. But you just never know in baseball. You always have to be careful. We are the fifth seed, after all. We are in no position to be picky."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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