Mid-level teams are fighting all-out to advance to fall baseball. At a time when players’ physical strength management has emerged as the biggest variable due to the continuing heatwave, attention is focusing on which team will laugh among the Doosan Bears, KIA Tigers, and Lotte Giants who are trying to win the postseason ticket.
5th place Doosan starts to solidify 메이저놀이터 with main catcher Yang Eui-ji at the forefront. Yang Eui-ji, who was out of power due to a side injury on the 8th, showed a rapid recovery and returned faster than expected. Doosan aims for a reversal in the three-game series against Kiwoom Heroes starting on the 22nd, and then competes against SSG Landers in the home room on the weekend. Although the performance against SSG this season is sluggish with 2 wins and 6 losses, the joining of Yang Eui-ji, who is the key player in air defense, is expected to be a great help to Doosan, which is counterattacking.
6th place KIA will play an away game against kt wiz, which is showing a terrifying rise, and will play 3 home matches against the Hanwha Eagles from the 25th. KIA was very strong this season with 6 wins and 1 loss against kt. It is expected that KIA, with a team batting average of 0.335 in the last 5 games, will be able to break kt’s momentum with the help of hot batting lines. KIA infielder Park Chan-ho and catcher Kim Tae-goon are showing batting power with a batting average of 50% in the last 5 games.
7th place Lotte faced the biggest hurdle ahead of the ‘Autumn Party’ with a schedule to meet with the 1st and 2nd teams in succession. From the 22nd to the 24th, Lotte will play a three-game series against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, and from the 25th, they will play against kt at Sajik Stadium in Busan.
Both teams are tough opponents for Lotte. Lotte is behind LG this season with 5 wins and 6 losses and kt with 3 wins and 9 losses. Lotte recently lost by 3 points or less in all three consecutive matches against Kiwoom, and the atmosphere has subsided.
The momentum of 4th place NC Dinos is also frightening. Starting on the 22nd, NC, who is about to play three consecutive away matches against SSG in 3rd place, can even look at a direct ticket to the playoffs if NC catches all three games by 3 games with SSG. In NC, Lee Jae-hak, who left due to a left foot injury, joins the starting rotation.