Lotte-Hanwha, are you trembling now
In a 10-team league, if there’s a first place team, there’s bound to be a second place team. The standings, which are inevitably divided even if the teams are of similar strength and performance, determine which teams qualify for the postseason and the following year’s draft order.
As of Nov. 27, Kiwoom is in last place in the league this season. Kiwoom is 41-55 (.427) in 96 games this season, which is the worst record in the league. After a furious start to the season that looked like it was going to be an upset, the team was unable to overcome their objective power deficit and fell to the bottom of the standings. The difference between the quality of the main players and the backup players was criticized, and the departure of Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) to the major leagues and the surgery and enlistment of Ahn Woo-jin took a toll.
But you can’t just look at them as last place. They’re too strong for last place. The winning percentage proves it. In 2020, there were only two teams worse than Kiwoom in the final standings, and their winning percentage is much higher than that of last-place Hanwha (.371) in 2021. In 2022, 9th-ranked Doosan and 10th-ranked Hanwha are also worse than Kiwoom’s current winning percentage, and Kiwoom’s winning percentage is higher than the 8th-10th place teams last year. Last place is last place, but last place doesn’t feel like last place.
However, Kiwoom’s three-game winning streak came to an end with a thrilling victory over KIA at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 26th and 27th. Kia is arguably the best team in the league right now, having led the league for most of the season. They had good momentum heading into this series. They lost the Gwangju NC on the 25th, but before that, they had won seven straight games. In addition, they were able to field their ‘ace’ James Nail in the first game against Kiwoom.
On the 26th, when KIA was expected to dominate, Kiwoom’s strength shone through. They capitalized on Kia’s defense’s mistakes and took advantage of Nail’s sagging, eventually winning the game. It was an impressive victory, as they fought off a furious late-game charge from KIA.
On the 27th, they won 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning after a hard-fought game that saw the lead change hands and tie the game. Kiwoom fell behind in the fourth inning when Kim Do-young gave up a two-run homer and was unable to get past the KIA mound. But with starter Ariel Furado doing his part with seven innings of two-run ball, the Kiwis finally got out of trouble with a 5-2 comeback in the eighth inning.
There was potential. They may be last in the standings, but at least in this moment, they were as focused as any team in the league. One out later, Lee Yong-kyu singled to left, followed by Lee Joo-hyung’s single to right. After being thrown out at the plate, Lee was able to take advantage of a missed play by the defense to steal second and third. After Dawson tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center, Kiwoom took advantage of a walk by 토토사이트 추천 Song Sung-moon and a wild pitch by Kim Hye-sung to take a 5-2 lead with two outs when Ko Young-woo hit a three-run triple to right-center.
In fact, when Joo Seung-woo gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the momentum shifted back to KIA. The difference between a strong team and a weak team is how they handle this momentum shift, and Kiwoom had the ability. They made it through the ninth inning without falling behind, and with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Lee Yong-kyu’s infield hit kept the spark alive. Lee drew an eight-pitch walk and Dawson drew a six-pitch walk to extend the lead. The unselfish team play put the pressure on the KIA mound, and Song Sung-moon was able to get the final out of the game with an RBI single to center field. Game 2 proved that Kiwoom is not a weak team by any means.
Now, Kiwoom is in a position to challenge for the title. After falling to the bottom of the standings on June 2, Kiwoom has been in 10th place for all but one day (July 21), but a recent three-game winning streak has put pressure on eighth-place Lotte and ninth-place Hanwha. They are currently one game behind eighth-place Lotte and half a game behind ninth-place Hanwha. That could change in a single game.
For Lotte and Hanwha, the ‘last place’ title is very uncomfortable. Both teams have done a lot to rebuild and improve their performances ahead of this season. Lotte didn’t make any major additions to their roster, but they hired Kim Tae-hyung, a league-recognized mastermind, to lead them into the new season. Hanwha also invested heavily in their roster, signing Ryu Hyun-jin and Ahn Chi-hong, and then hiring Kim Kyung-moon during the season.
For them, the stigma of being labeled “last place” can be quite a blow. There are some who would rather finish last and get the first pick in the draft than to miss the postseason. However, most club officials agree that finishing in last place is too painful for the organization’s reputation. If Kiwoom can finish the season with a winning percentage of at least .450, they’ll have a good springboard for next year. In fact, Kiwoom isn’t exactly an underdog. Since 2015, they have a winning percentage of 0.520 in 1,392 games, the fourth-best in the league over that period. The power is there.