The playoff rosters for the Samsung Lions and the KIA Tigers, who meet in the "Moonlight Series" starting on the 25th, have been finalized. KIA will field the same lineup it used in the first-round series against defending champion LG Twins, while Samsung will be without closer Kim Jae-yun because of an injury.
The Korea Baseball Organization announced the final rosters for the best-of-five playoff series on the 24th.
Samsung left out Kim, who was told to rest for two weeks because of pain in his right arm, and carried 13 pitchers, one fewer than KIA.
Samsung said a magnetic resonance imaging scan confirmed damage to the serratus anterior muscle and fascia on Kim's right side. The serratus anterior attaches to the ribs and helps stabilize the shoulder blade, allowing the arm to move forward. The team said the problem developed in the serratus anterior of Kim's right arm, that bleeding also appeared along the fascia, and that he was diagnosed with a Grade 1 injury requiring two weeks of rest.
With the playoff series lasting as few as three games and no more than a week, Kim cannot appear in the round. Even if Samsung advances to the Korean Series, pitching appears unlikely.
Kim pitched in 64 regular-season games this year, going 7-5 with 35 saves to lead the league in saves.
Koo Ja-wook, a core hitter who struggled late in the season with a thigh muscle strain, returned to the roster. However, left-handers Lee Seung-hyun, who has back trouble, and Baek Jung-hyun, who injured his latissimus dorsi, were also left out, which could make it harder for Samsung to contain KIA's left-handed hitters.
KIA faces Samsung with the same roster it used in the first round.
Game 1 is set for 2 p.m. on the 25th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.