Will the fourth round of the playoffs be held normally.
The Samsung Lions, led by head coach Park Jin-man, and the LG Twins, led by manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, will play Game 4 of the 2024 professional baseball KBO postseason playoffs (best of five games) at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 18th.
Samsung is currently leading Samsung in the series. Marking the second place (78 wins, two draws and 64 losses) in the regular season league, they won the first and second games (10-4) and (10-5) at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu.
LG ranked third (76 wins, 2 draws and 66 losses) and beat fifth-ranked KT Wiz (72 wins, 2 draws and 70 losses) in the semi-playoffs with 3 wins and 2 losses overall. LG lost in both the first and second playoff games, but won the third playoff game 1-0 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, providing an opportunity for a rebound.
In this critical situation, Samsung will deploy Denny Reyes as its starting pitcher. Reyes, who joined Samsung ahead of this season, is a right-handed pitcher with 11 wins, four losses and an earned run average of 3.81 in 26 games (144 innings) in the regular season. He met LG twice this year and posted one win and an earned run average of 3.60.
He also posted good performance in the first playoff game. Having thrown 101 balls at the time, he allowed four hits, one homer, two walks and one strikeout, three runs and one earned run during 6.2 innings, becoming the winning pitcher.
Against this backdrop, LG Twins foretold a Detrick N.C.E., who joined LG ahead of this season, is a left-handed pitcher who posted 13 wins, six losses and an earned run average of 4.19 in 30 games (167.2 innings) during the regular season. He pitched well with one loss and an earned run average of 3.00 in two games against Samsung, but suffered a loss and an earned run average of 7.27 (11 hits and seven runs in 8.2 innings) in the two previous semi-playoffs.
Since then, N.C. has rarely had a chance to take the mound in the playoffs. Originally, he was selected as the starting pitcher for the second game, but as the game was postponed for a day due to rain, manager Yeom Kyung-yeop chose Son Joo-young instead of N.C. That’s how N.C. rested for eight days and decided to take the mound on the day.
After the third game, Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “(N.S.) got enough rest. It was not bad against Samsung this season. I hope he throws well.”
It is uncertain whether Game 4 will be held normally. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), many raindrops are expected at Jamsil Baseball Stadium from afternoon to late at night. If it rains too much, Game 4 is expected to take place on Wednesday. Notably, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “We managed the mound in Game 3 taking this into account.” 메이저놀이터
In the third game, LG allowed 3.2 innings to Elijah Hernandez, who has been playing a key role in the bullpen since starting pitcher Lim Chan-kyu (5.1 scoreless innings). As if to respond to the request, Hernandez led LG to victory by allowing no runs in the game. He pitched 60 pitches.
“I heard it’s going to rain tomorrow (18th). I just believe in the forecast,” Yeom said. “Without the forecast, Ence would leave first today (17th) and Hernández would be appointed later. If the game is not going to rain tomorrow, Hernández will rest.”
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “I’m sorry to Hernandez, but he is the best card that we can win no matter what. Of course, I will check my physical condition. I will not use him as I please, but discuss with the training part and check his physical condition,” adding, “But since I have 60 pitches on the 17th, I think I will be able to take a day off (19th).”
If Game 4 is postponed due to rain, there will be variables. If Game 4 of the playoffs takes place as scheduled on Wednesday, Hernandez, the strongest pitcher in the LG bullpen, will not be able to play. However, if he takes a day off due to a rainy weather, Hernandez will be able to stand on the mound. What will the sky look like at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
