1st place KIA vs 2nd place LG… Big match from the first game of the second half of professional baseball

2024-07-09 02:20:48

KIA Nail-LG Kelly starting pitcher showdown
3-game series, 3.5 game difference, ‘fiery match’
5 games difference between 5th place SSG and last place Kiwoom
The battle for the highest rankings in the lower and middle ranks is also of interest.

KIA, ranked first in professional baseball, and LG, ranked second, will play three games in a row starting on the 9th at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. Both teams will field ace pitchers Nail (KIA, above) and Kelly (LG) as starters for the game on the 9th. Newsis·News 1

The first game of the second half is a big match. After a shorter All-Star break (4 days) than usual, professional baseball resumes its schedule with a match between 1st place KIA and 2nd place LG. KIA and LG, who are competing for the lead with a 3.5 game difference, will play a 3-game series in the middle of the week at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul starting on the 9th. Depending on the results of this 3-game series, KIA could overtake LG by 6.5 games, or LG could catch up with KIA by 0.5 games.

KIA announced that Nail, who ranked first in the first half of the season with an ERA of 2.66, will be the starting pitcher for the first game of the three-game series. Nail has appeared three times against LG, and has a record of 1 win, 0 losses, and an ERA of 1.96. The fact that KIA’s batting lineup has a team batting average of 0.352 against LG this season is also a reason for KIA to be confident.

In response, LG decided to assign Kelly to the mound as the starting pitcher for the first game of the three-game series. Kelly, in his sixth year on the Korean stage, was on the verge of being released due to poor performance with an average ERA of 5.60 until May. However, he has been making a comeback since June, recording an average ERA of 2.70. Starting shortstop Oh Ji-hwan, who has been out since late May due to a wrist injury, is expected to return during this three-game series and add strength.

KIA manager Lee Beom-ho, who is in his debut season as a manager, said, “If I don’t waver, the players won’t waver either,” and added, “I won’t lose my tension in the second half.” LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, who is aiming to win the Korean Series for the second consecutive year, said, “We will have a proper fight for rankings starting in the second half.”

Samsung, which had maintained its second place until the 28th of last month but then slipped to fourth place after suffering five consecutive losses, will play its first three-game series against NC (6th) at home in Daegu. In order to refresh the team atmosphere, Samsung replaced all of its first-team head coaches, pitchers, batting, and battery coaches during the All-Star break. Samsung, which is one game behind third-place Doosan, will play three games in the middle of the week and then head to Jamsil to play three games against Doosan over the weekend. Doosan will start its second-half schedule against KT (7th).

Lotte (8th), which has been transformed into ‘Attack on Titan’ mode since June, is determined to continue its upward trend against its distribution industry rival SSG (5th). The two teams are three places apart in the rankings, but the gap is only three games. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung said, “(Foreign pitcher) Barnes and other injured players are coming back. We will really fight in the second half.”

This year, professional baseball is showing an ‘unprecedented’ ranking competition, with Kiwoom, which is at the bottom (10th), only 5 games behind SSG. For this reason, the three-game series at Gocheok Sky Dome during the week between Kiwoom and Hanwha (9th) cannot be taken lightly. Kiwoom recorded 7 wins and 3 losses in the last 10 games of the first half, igniting the competition for the middle and lower ranks.

Hanwha reorganized its coaching staff during the All-Star break by hiring senior coach Yang Seung-kwan and pitching coach Yang Sang-moon. These individuals, who will assist manager Kim Kyung-moon, who took over the reins of Hanwha last month, were given the task of filling Noh Si-hwan’s spot as soon as they took office. Noh Si-hwan, who led the league in home runs (31) and RBIs (101) last season, is currently struggling to play for about three weeks due to left shoulder pain. Noh Si-hwan was first on the team in both home runs (18) and RBIs (60) this season.

Reporter Kang Hong-gu [email protected]

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2024-07-09 02:20:48