The biggest issues between March and April are the rollercoaster ride of the Hanwha Eagles, and the extreme moves of the popular teams KIA Tigers and Lotte Giants, who started under the new coach system. KIA under Lee Bum-ho, a novice coach, is leading the league with 20 wins and nine losses. In contrast, Lotte under Kim Tae-hyung, the KBO league’s most prestigious manager, is at the bottom with eight wins, 20 losses and one draw.
A month has passed since the opening, and the gap between first and bottom is as much as 12 games. Considering that the lead Lotte and the bottom Hanwha were 8.5 games apart at the end of April last year, this season is not unusual. Moreover, considering the current power of KIA and Lotte, there seems to be a possibility that the gap of 12 more games will continue.
Coach Lee Bum-ho is a beginner but does not look like a beginner. Ahead of the match against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 27th, he explained, “I am not angry but just trying to organize the management of the game.” He is very logical. There is no rush. We fully respect the opinions of coaches and even players, but make a firm decision.
Basically, the starting lineup, the bullpen, and the batters work together like cogs. It feels like using the bullpen by pulling it a little bit, but there is a view that it is not too difficult because it is a configuration that can be rotated like last year’s LG. Excluding Hwang Dae-in and Yoon Do-hyun, the injured will return one after another from May. Na already made a surprise comeback at the game against LG in Jamsil on Friday.
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop of the LG Twins said, “Unlike in previous years, KIA has strong foreign one-two punch (James Nail, Will Crow) and rarely loses its starting pitchers due to lack of easy possession, and therefore has to face the winning team of nine teams.” In reality, the reality is that batters overwhelm the chasing team. Analysts say that the reason why KIA’s batters have good numbers in various ways is ultimately the power of foreign one-two punch.
Industry insiders have a common explanation that Lotte’s mound is basically not bad, but it is not overwhelming, and that its lineup is weak. Manager Kim Tae-hyung’s ability to watch players and lead and react in games is still excellent. However, that is only possible when materials are supported.
However, some view that there is a possibility that the team could rebound once in the case of Kim’s use of players based on clear and definite principles. Since the days of the Doosan Bears, Kim has treated both big FA contractors and rookies the same, and used the same standards. He is the most faithful leader to this principle. After all, it means that he has outstanding ability to maximize his power, but it remains to be seen.
“Lotte will perform better when players’ performance is highlighted in lieu of the name Kim Tae-hyung,” another source said. This is because baseball is played by players after all. As the team is sluggish at the beginning of the season, Kim Tae-hyung is more prominent than players.
In the end, the two teams ranked first and lowest. Depending on the gap between the two national teams, the overall tension in the ranking battle may increase or the team may lose steam. It is May now.
BY: 스포츠토토