Reorganization of competitive landscape…
The KIA Tigers are continuing their hopes of regaining 5th place despite the departure of many key players.
KIA achieved a new win of 2-1 in the home game against the Samsung Lions in the 2023 KBO League held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 8th. Starting pitcher Yoon Young-cheol pitched well, allowing 4 hits and 1 run over 6 innings, and in the bottom of the 8th inning when the score was tied 1-1, Kim Tae-gun hit a sacrifice fly to lead the comeback, and closing pitcher Jeong Hae-young protected the lead.
KIA is in 6th place, 3 games behind the 5th place NC Dinos, who lost to SSG Landers on this day. Since there are only 6 games left, the possibility of reclaiming 5th place is not high, but considering their recent pace, they may have high hopes.
KIA’s offensive power dropped significantly as its main hitters Na Seong-beom, Choi Hyeong-woo, and Park Chan-ho were all out for the season due to injuries. Outfielder Choi Won-jun, who was selected to the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG) baseball team, suffered a calf injury during training and is expected to have difficulty playing in the game even if he joins the team.
KIA is struggling after losing many of its key players. After Na Seong-beom and Choi Hyeong-woo left, they recorded 7 wins and 6 losses in the 13 games played. The sluggish starting lineup and bullpen came back to life one after another, and the batting lineup scored more than 10 points twice, minimizing the gap due to injuries to key players.
KIA, which had won 9 consecutive games since August 24, suffered a sharp decline in pitching and batting performance after that, and suffered 11 losses (4 wins) in the next 15 games. Rather, they struggled in the ranking competition that was being held without key players.
SSG, which was competing for 5th place until the end of September, rose to 4th place with a rapid increase in performance, including 6 consecutive wins from September 30th. On the other hand, NC, which was in 3rd place, fell to 5th place with 3 wins and 9 losses in the last 12 games. Considering the recent pace, the competition for the remaining postseason rankings can be seen as a confrontation between KIA and NC.
NC will play a two-game series against lower-ranked Hanwha on the 9th and 10th, then meet the Doosan Bears and LG Twins in turn. Following the Samsung game on the 9th, KIA will play SSG, Kiwoom Heroes, Lotte Giants, and Doosan on the 10th and 12th.
A two-game series between NC and KIA will be held next week on the 16th and 17th. If the gap between the two teams in this week’s schedule is reduced to two games or less, the final two games could determine which team will advance to the postseason (PS). In terms of opponent record, KIA is ahead with 7 wins, 1 draw, and 6 losses in 14 games.
Every year, the competition for the top five was the biggest hit at the end of the regular season. This season is unpredictable until the end.