An underachieving right-hander was tabbed Thursday to start the first official game at the new stadium for the Kia Tigers in the top domestic baseball league.

The Korea Baseball Organization club said Song Eun-beom will start the preseason game against the Doosan Bears on Saturday at the new Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

The ballpark is named after the Tigers’ home city of Gwangju, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul.

The Tigers as a franchise have the most championships in the KBO’s 32-year history, with nine titles under the previous ownership of the confectionery company Haitai, and one championship under the automaker Kia in 2009.

Song, 29, joined the Tigers in a midseason trade from the SK Wyverns last May. He was 0-1 with three saves and a 3.86 ERA in 4 2/3 innings before the trade and ended the season at 1-7 with five saves and an ugly 7.35 ERA, the worst mark of his career, in 49 innings.

Song’s struggles were a microcosm of the Tigers’ frustrating 2013 season.

A trendy preseason pick to contend for the championship, the Tigers started out hot before faltering badly in the second half.

They were in first place when they acquired Song on May 6 at 17 wins, eight losses and one tie, but ended the season in eighth place among nine teams, at 51-74-3, 1 1/2 games worse than the first-year NC Dinos.

The Tigers traded for Song hoping that the right-hander, who had been a starter, a middle reliever and a closer over his first 10 seasons, could add versatility to the pitching staff. (Yonhap)