KT’s Lee Kang-chul: “Lotte Scare Me Most”
League leaders KT Wiz (84-49-4) sat three games clear of second-place Samsung Lions on the off day of the 2nd, with a magic number of 5 for the regular-season title. KT host Lotte for three games in Suwon from the 3rd to the 5th, face Kiwoom on the 6th and Samsung in Suwon on the 7th, then close with two more against Samsung in Daegu on the 11th and 12th. Manager Lee Kang-chul did the math: “We have one more tie. So if we meet them three games ahead, we finish first.” Still, he added, “Lotte scare me the most these days.” His aim is to lock up a direct ticket to the Korean Series before the final showdown with Samsung.
Source: MyDaily
Third to Fifth Is Up for Grabs Again
All five postseason teams are set, but the order from third to fifth is suddenly uncertain again. As of the 2nd, third-place LG, fourth-place KIA and fifth-place Doosan were each separated by two games, with 8, 9 and 6 games left respectively. As recently as September 23, LG led KIA by 3.5 games after a seven-game winning streak, and KIA led Doosan by four. Since then, LG were swept by SSG and have lost five straight, while KIA dropped three in a row as their bullpen collapsed. Doosan, meanwhile, hit .343 as a team while sweeping NC. The three-game series over the holiday weekend look set to decide the race.
Source: Sports Kyunghyang
Hanwha, Lotte Managers’ Futures in Focus
Doosan clinched fifth place on September 30, confirming KT, Samsung, LG, KIA and Doosan as this year’s postseason teams. Attention is now turning to managers whose contracts end this season. Hanwha, runners-up in last year’s regular season, have been eliminated from the postseason, and manager Kim Kyung-moon’s renewal is far from guaranteed, with opinions split on his handling of the pitching staff. Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyoung, who has not reached the postseason in his three-year deal, is also facing a chill, though his clubhouse management and the club’s lack of outside free-agent signings leave the door open to a new contract.
Source: Ilgan Sports
SSG Surge to Second-Best Second Half
The SSG Landers have climbed the table with a powerful second half. After finishing the first half ninth at 31-52-3 (.373), SSG have gone 30-19-2 (.612) since, edging Samsung (30-20-1) for the league’s second-best second-half record. Their sweep of LG also lifted them to sixth overall. Foreign pitcher Avila has led the turnaround, going 8-2 with a 1.56 ERA in 13 games. Manager Lee Sung-yong pointed to a stabilized rotation as the key: “Starting pitching seems to matter most. That’s what didn’t work for us in the first half.”
Source: OSEN