KIA coach Kim Jong-guk said it was important to hold on ahead of the game against NC held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 25th. Coach Kim carefully said, “I’m thinking of hitting a 50% win rate in a week.”
There was a situation where I had no choice but to aim for a simple win rate of 50%. This is because of the weakness of the other line. The mound was holding up somehow, but the batting line was definitely looser than last year. Last year, KIA was a team that competed for first place in the league in team OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage). However, there were many bad news this year, including the transfer of Park Dong-won (LG) and the injury of Na Seong-beom and Kim Do-young. In particular, the void of Na Seong-beom, the team’s leading hitter, was not a material that any one player could fill.
It was the KIA that had the most sluggish start since 2008, only winning 3 wins (9 losses) in the first 12 games of the season. The idea was to hold out near a 50% win rate, wait for reinforcements, and gain momentum after the main hitters joined. However, KIA far exceeded coach Kim’s expectations and expectations and returned to the 50% win rate faster than expected.
KIA won 6-3 in the match against LG held at Jamsil Stadium on the 29th, matching the season win rate to 50% (11 wins and 11 losses). This is thanks to a good performance of 8 wins and 2 losses in the last 10 games. It was also a day following the recent KIA baseball game in which the starting pitcher throws well, the batting line creates points that the team can win in a limited opportunity, and the bullpen keeps this well.
Since April 19th, KIA has just 8 wins and 2 losses, ranking second in the league following Lotte (7 wins and 1 loss) during this period. In fact, the performance wasn’t overwhelming. During this period, the team’s OPS (.688), which was said to have been good, was still below the league average (.693). Five out of 10 matches were won by 3 points or less. However, the team came together and made a victory by winning both times in a one-point match. That means there was power.
The mound gave strength. In 10 games, KIA’s team average ERA was only 2.37. It meant that we didn’t score even 3 points per game, so it was natural for the team to record a high win rate. The starting pitchers did their part. The fight in the bullpen was even more dazzling. Choi Ji-min participated in 6 out of 10 games and recorded an ERA of 0, as well as Jeon Sang-hyun, Jung Hae-young, Kim Ki-hoon, Lee Jun-young, and Jang Hyun-sik. The winning match showed the power to keep the victory anyway.
In the other lineup, KIA coach Kim Jong-guk’s changed lineup management shone in its own way. The titles of the existing key players were removed, and instead, players with good hitting feel were put into the top lineup and endured. Go Jong-wook, who played in 8 out of 10 games and had a batting average of 0.407, is a representative example. In particular, it was impossible to ignore the fact that different heroes were born for each match among the backup players. During 10 games, only 11 players who played 15 or more at-bats were evenly appointed, and this came as a success.메이저놀이터
This aspect is more welcome in that it is in line with the’strengthening of the player base’, which KIA thought was an inner achievement before the season. The bullpen has become thicker, and the fielders have been evaluating themselves that the backup layer has become stronger, because the number of multipliers created by the bullpen and backup players is not small. Choi Ji-min’s performance in the bullpen was impressive, and Lee Chang-jin, Lee Woo-sung, Kim Kyu-seong, and Ko Jong-wook performed well in the field.
Although the crisis is still in progress, if we endure well in May, Na Seong-beom and Choi Won-joon will come in from June and it will be easier to make a lineup. With the KIA season starting again with the return of the .500, it is most important not to repeat some of the problems that occurred at the beginning of the season.