Big defeat, come from behind to lose... Shocking batting average of 0.104 in July. Hitting down is more important than mound anxiety.
Jul 11, 2024
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The defending champion LG Twins, who completely lost face with a come-from-behind loss against the No. 1 KIA Tigers, who faced each other with strength.
LG lost 4-11 against Jamsil KIA on the 9th, the first game of the second half, and led 2-0 on the 10th, allowed a tie in the top of the ninth inning, and eventually lost 2-5 after extra time. It started with 3.5 games between the first and second places, but lost two consecutive games, increasing to 5.5 games. Now, instead of chasing the first place, we have to compete for the second place with the Samsung Lions and Doosan Bears.
The mound is difficult. The 9th was far behind the opponent's starter James Nail, who gave up five runs in five innings and allowed no hits until the fourth inning. In addition, with the team trailing 2-5, the bullpen was hit by Choi Hyung-woo with a bases-loaded single in the top of the sixth inning and was pushed to 2-9, effectively giving up the game.
On the 10th, starter Detrick Ens gave up only two hits in seven ⅓ innings and pitched the best pitch of the season without allowing a run. Moon Bo-kyung's solo shot made Park Dong-won's wedge RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning and seemed to win by leading 2-0. However, Yoo Young-chan, the most trusted finisher, was caught in the foot. He hit a double by the first-runner Park Chan-ho, a timely hit by Choi Won-joon, and allowed a timely hit by Choi Hyung-woo after two outs to make it 2-2. And in the top of the 10th inning, Baek Seung-hyun and Jung Woo-young gave up three points and suffered a shocking come-from-behind loss of 2-5.
In both games, the mound was the result of failing to stop KIA batters, who are ranked first in team batting average. But if you go deeper, you see a bigger problem. It's a blow.
LG's mound has become weaker than last year. Ko Woo-seok's entry into the U.S., Lee Jung-yong's enlistment in Sangmu, and Ham Deok-ju and Jung Woo-young's surgery left four key pitchers out, and it was necessary to reinforce the must-win group. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop expected the growth of Kim Jin-sung, Park Myung-geun, Kim Yoo-young, Baek Seung-hyun, and Lee Woo-chan. And one of the preconditions was hitting. They say that the bullpen should grow as they gain experience by throwing in a situation where the batters burst and lead with ease.
However, LG's batting lineup, which ranked first in team batting average and first in scoring last year, was different this year. Until April, he was second to KIA (0.296) with 289 percent, but fell to sixth overall with 272 percent in May. He ranked fifth with 285 percent in June, but ranked sixth with 247 percent in five games in July. Compared with Kia Tigers (0.338), which ranks first, and Doosan Bears (0.304), which ranks second.
In the second half of the year, Kim Jin-sung and closer Yoo Young-chan are the only pitchers who can be called must-win groups in LG. Baek Seung-hyun and Jung Woo-young are classified as must-win groups, but they have not gained a clear belief.
It is possible to rebuild the bullpen only when the batters revive, but it is frustrating that the batters are not exploding.
Yoo Young-chan's Blon save in Gyeonggi Province was disappointing on the 10th, but if he had an additional point from his previous chance, he could easily have won. In particular, Park Dong-won's double in the bottom of the eighth inning led to a 2-0 lead, leading to an additional scoring opportunity with one out and runners on the second and third bases, but it was regrettable that Kim Hyun-soo struck out Choi Ji-min and Koo Bon-hyuk failed to score as he stepped down with a fly to right field. On the same day, LG lowered Kim Hyun-soo, who was a built-in third batter, to No. 6 and made a new attempt to use No. 3 Austin-4 Moon Bo-kyung. Kim Hyun-soo showed a slump of around 10% in July, failing to take full advantage of Hong Chang-ki and Moon Sung-joo's table setters, who are ranked first and second in on-base percentage. However, Kim Hyun-soo stepped down as a mistake in both scoring chances in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and runners on second and third bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Not only Kim Hyun-soo but also LG hitters overall are wandering in the chance. In July, LG had a batting average of just 104 (five hits in 48 at-bats). He was in last place in the 10 teams.
Baseball is a game of pitching. You have to do well to win. However, it is baseball that wins only when you score a point. Unfortunately, the first day of Yeom's batting order change failed.
indyk@sportschosun.com
