KIA Tigers dreaming of V12 beyond winning pennant race.
They were the strongest teams in both pitching and batting this season. They ranked first among the 10 teams in both categories with a team batting average of .301 and a team ERA of 4.40. Four of the seven batters who met the required number of at-bats recorded .300, while the other three also have powerful batters in the late 20s. James Nail (12 wins) and Yang Hyeon (11 wins) are holding out on the mound, while Jang Hyun-sik and Jeon Sang-hyun are holding out on the mound with an iron wall, with relief pitcher Jung Hae-young holding out. He also has strength in various types of bullpens, which are neither left nor right.
Kia has one record that it wants to hide this season. It was errors. It made a total of 146 mistakes in 144 games. The figure was more than one on average per game. Even though it made 23 more errors than the runner-up Lotte (123), it was possible because of the strength of two to one hit.
“Defence” was Kia’s biggest topic even ahead of the upcoming Korean Series. An error that occurs in a big game that differs from the pennant race could be a fatal blow to the team’s victory. In order for Kia to achieve the great V12 achievement, it has been evaluated that it must display solid defense capability.
The first game of the Korean Series against the Samsung Lions on Sunday has become a reality. 안전놀이터
Kia’s infield team made two errors on the day. With no outs and runners on the first base in the top of the first inning, Nail induced Kim to ground out to the second base. A hit that could have been linked to a 4-6-3 double play course. Shortstop Park Chan-ho, who received the ball handed by Kim Sun-bin, touched the second base and quickly threw the ball to the first base, but only posted one out count as first baseman Seo Geon-chang failed to catch it. Park Chan-ho’s throw was low, and he had to think about Seo Geon-chang, not a professional first baseman, but there was nothing he could do about it. Nail, who could have easily thrown the ball in the absence of a runner with two outs, had a double to the left-center hit by Kang Min-ho even after striking out Diaz, was on the verge of losing points with two outs and runners on the second and third bases, and threw more balls, which was largely due to her error.
There was also a dizzying scene in the top of the third inning. Shortstop Park Chan-ho caught the first batter Ryu Ji-hyuk’s deep hit between the second and third bases. However, Park’s hurriedly sprayed the ball far beyond the first base, leading to a recognized double when he entered the dugout. It was fortunate that Nail avoided losing a point by batting three batters in succession.
The best-of-seven series in the Korean Series leads to a battle of physical stamina and concentration. Kia has accumulated enough energy by taking a long break after the end of the regular season, but there is a question mark over whether it will be able to maintain this power going forward. We must not forget the lessons learned by the two mistakes.
