Key players from each generation in the 80s, 90s, and 00s are positioned in each position
The backup is also solid… Despite the many injuries, they won the regular league
From the ‘veteran’ Choi Hyeong-woo born in 1983 to the ‘rookie’ Kim Do-young born in 2003, the strength of the KIA Tigers, who won the 2024 regular season, came from a perfect new and old structure.
KIA lost 0-2 in an away game against SSG in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 17th.
Until that day, KIA, which had reduced the magic number for winning the regular season to 1, was unable to erase the magic number on its own.
However, in the game held at Jamsil at the same time, Samsung lost to Doosan Bears 4-8, and the gap between 1st and 2nd place remained at 8 games.
With this, KIA has secured an early championship with 7 games left in the regular season.
KIA was a team with an ideal balance between pitching and batting this season.
They are the only team with a batting average over .300 (0.302, as of the 16th), ranked 1st overall, 1st in team runs (818 runs), and 3rd in team home runs (158).
Also, the team ERA was 4.40, 1st overall, the team strikeouts (1,070) were 2nd, and the walks in hit by pitch (WHIP) was 1.48, 2nd.
Looking at the team members, it is noticeable that key players are arranged by generation, from those born in the 1980s to those born in the 1900s and 2000s.
The only player in his 40s on the team, born in 1983, Choi Hyeong-woo, played a role that belied his age. Choi Hyeong-woo was in charge of the center batting order, recording a batting average of 0.281, 22 home runs, and 108 RBIs. Even when Socrates Brito was struggling early in the season and Na Sung-beom was out due to injury, he quietly did his part in the 4th batting order. Despite his old age, he stood out for his dedication to the team, playing left field.
The eldest of the pitchers, Yang Hyeon-jong, born in 1988, led the starting lineup. He maintained the rotation until the end even as starting pitchers including Lee Eui-ri, Yoon Young-chul, and Will Crow suffered injuries. Although his record of 11 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 4.06 is somewhat disappointing compared to his prime, it can be said that Yang Hyeon-jong did more than his share by maintaining an ERA of 4.00 in the early 4s while pitching 166⅓ innings. He also recorded great records such as pitching 150 innings for 10 consecutive seasons and becoming the most strikeout pitcher of all time.
Kim Seon-bin and Na Seong-beom, both born in 1989 and in their mid-30s, are still indispensable to KIA.
Kim Seon-bin, who defended his starting second baseman position this year, recorded a batting average of 0.325, 9 home runs, and 56 RBIs, and was responsible for KIA’s stamina, swinging a hot bat with a batting average of .426 in August and September.
Na Sung-beom, who spent a season as the ‘captain’, was unable to join the opening due to an unexpected injury and had a sluggish period in the early stages of his return. However, as always, he returned to his true form in the second half of the season, and played in 102 games, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 80 RBIs, playing a pure and high-quality role as the team’s central batting line.
Among those born in the 1990s, the performance of ‘Leadoff’ Chan-Ho Park (born 1995) stood out the most. Park Chan-Ho, who played the season as a shortstop and leadoff hitter with the trust of Manager Beom-Ho Lee, did not record as many stolen bases as in previous years, but contributed with a batting average of .300 and over 20 doubles.
The winning duo of Jang Hyun-sik (born 1995) and Jeon Sang-hyeon (born 1996) also shined. They both experienced ups and downs as they played in many games, but they still gave strength by finishing the season.
Jang Hyun-sik pitched 72⅓ innings in 71 games, recording 5 wins, 4 losses, 15 holds, and an ERA of 3.86, while Jeon Sang-hyeon pitched 62⅓ innings in 62 games, recording 10 wins, 5 losses, 7 saves, 17 holds, and an ERA of 4.04. Before closer Jeong Hae-yeong went, Jang Hyun-sik and Jeon Sang-hyeon held the 7th and 8th innings solidly.
The winning team KIA also had young players born in the 2000s who performed exceptionally well. Kim Do-young (born in 2003), who was virtually guaranteed the season MVP, is a prime example.
Kim Do-young, who had not performed as well as expected until last year, exploded with potential this season, his third year. He displayed all-round performance with a batting average of 0.345, 37 home runs, 39 stolen bases, 134 runs, and 105 RBIs. He has set numerous ‘youngest’ and ‘first’ records, such as the youngest 30-30 player in history, the most home runs by a 21-year-old, the first 10-10 in a month and ‘natural cycling hits’ (single-double-triple-home run in that order), and the fewest games with 100 runs ever.
He is also challenging the first 40-40 by a native player in the remaining games. It is no exaggeration to say that the presence of 21-year-old Kim Do-young, who is assigned to the 3rd batting position, has increased the weight of the entire KIA batting lineup.
The closing pitcher Jeong Hae-young (born 2001), who has been in charge of the back door for the fourth year, is also a key contributor. He experienced some ups and downs last season due to a decrease in speed, but after thoroughly preparing for this season, he returned as an ‘elite closing pitcher’. He recorded 2 wins, 3 losses, 30 saves, and an ERA of 2.63, and is also expected to become the ‘Tigers’ relief king’ for the first time in 26 years since Sun Dong-yeol and Lim Chang-yong.
In addition, second-year pitcher Kwak Do-gyu (born 2004), who took on the dirty work as a left-handed bullpen pitcher, and third-year pitcher Hwang Dong-ha (born 2002), who performed better than expected as a replacement starter, also breathed life into the team’s youngest players.
Like other teams, KIA also suffered from frequent injuries to its starting players this season. However, the reason KIA was able to maintain the top spot in the rankings until the end was because of the perfect ‘new and old structure’ led by young players who could threaten the starting positions at any time.
(Seoul = News 1)
2024-09-19 03:43:27