Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Joo Sung-won, 23, will bat first for the first time in his career on his birthday.

Kiwoom will send Joo Sung-won to bat first and play right field against the SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon, South Korea, on April 30.

Joo Sung-won, who joined the organization in 2019, made his debut with the first team this year after playing in the Futures (second division) league.

After a brief stint with the first team in May, where he played just three games, he was released from the first team.

In 23 games this season, he’s batting .213 (13-for-61) with one RBI, and he doesn’t have a great lineup, striking out 16 times while drawing one walk.

Manager Hong Won-ki said, “I want him to get a lot of runs. He’s been starting a lot lately, and his defense, offense, and focus have been improving, so I’ve been using him as the number one hitter.”

As Hong hoped, Joo has hit safely in four straight games.

In April, he had a one-hit wonder that became the 31st cycling hit in Futures League history.

Kiwoom will send left-handed pitcher Ian McKinney to the mound today instead of Jang Jae-young, who started the previous day’s game against Incheon SSG, which was canceled due to rain.

“I think we’ll have to think about whether to skip Jang Jae-young once in the starting rotation or change the order a little bit,” Hong said, leaving the door open to the possibility of using him. 먹튀검증