LG aims to win the Korean Series
Dominating in the pennant race
First in team batting average and ERA
Showing off their even skills at the plate and on the mound
KT-NC to face off in the PO
KT is more favorable for LG
A congratulatory bottle from the late Chairman Koo Bon-moo
Focusing on whether they can open it this time
메이저사이트Having dined with Iwamori Shochu at a spring training camp in Japan in 1994, LG defeated Pacific to win the Korean Series (KS-7) in four games that season. The late Chairman Koo Bon-moo, a rumored baseball fanatic, arranged for a Rolex Leopard Daytona watch for the KS Most Valuable Player (MVP), along with a jar of Iwamori Shochu to celebrate the win ahead of the 1995 season.
In the 1995 season, LG finished second in the pennant race, six games behind third-place Lotte. At this point, it looked like LG’s second consecutive title would be in the near future. However, LG fell two games short in the playoffs (PO) to Lotte, who had a 12-6 season record, and the team hasn’t won a title in 29 years. The jar of Iwamori shochu belonging to the late chairman was kept at Icheon Champions Park, LG’s second team stadium, while the watch was kept in a safe. LG prepares to remove the sealed sake jar and watch. For the first time since 1994, LG topped the pennant race and punched its ticket to KS. LG is in a calm mood as they make their final push for the championship. LG will begin its final preparations at Jamsil Stadium on the 29th.
(From left) Austin, Ham Deok-ju, Hong Chang-ki, Moon Sung-ju, Moon Bo-kyung, and Kelly.
LG’s power hitting and bullpen
LG has been a force to be reckoned with this season. Hovering in third place when defending champion SSG and spring breaker Lotte took over the top spot, LG took over the top spot on June 27 and never relinquished it. This marks LG’s first appearance in the KS in 21 years, since 2002. LG had more balanced power in its lineup than any other team this season. The team batted .279, which ranked first in the league. They didn’t hit 100 home runs with 93, but they had a .298 slugging percentage with 714 runs batted in. The hitters were tenacious. LG struck out 804 times this season, the fewest in the league. That’s 139 fewer than the SSG (943), which is second in strikeouts. Yet they drew 583 walks, the most in the league.
His individual performance has also been outstanding. Hong Chang-ki batted .332 this season, and Moon Bo-kyung hit triple digits (0.301) for the second straight season. And let’s not forget about Austin Dean, who ended the foreign batting woes. This season, Austin batted .313 with 23 home runs and 95 RBIs to power the offense.
He’s also been a force on the mound. His 3.67 ERA was first in the league and his 610 runs allowed were the fewest in the league. The bullpen was LG’s strength. The bullpen led the league with a 3.41 ERA and was solid enough to collect 92 holds, the most in the league. It’s unfortunate that Go Woo-seok, who won the bullpen title with 42 saves last season, only had 15 saves, but the bullpen is solid.
The only weakness is the starting pitching
LG’s only real weakness is its starting pitching. This season, the LG starters have a 3.92 ERA, which is fifth in the league. The number of innings pitched by the starters is also disappointing. LG’s starters have thrown 732.1 innings this season. That’s ninth in the league, ahead of last-place Hanwha (682.0 innings). In addition, Adam Plutko, who has been an ace with an 11-3 record this season, was unable to pitch in KS due to his physical condition and finally left for the United States on the 27th.
The strength of the starting rotation is important in the KS. In 2015, Samsung went straight to the KS and lost the title to Doosan due to a lack of starting pitching strength, and in 2018, SK won the upset over Doosan thanks to the strength of their starting pitching. This is why LG bolstered its starting rotation in the middle of the season, trading away prospects to acquire Choi Won-tae from Kiwoom. Casey Kelly has a lot on his shoulders. Kelly, who has been on the mound for LG since 2019, had a disappointing first half with a 6-5 record and a 4.44 ERA, but bounced back in the second half with a 4-2 record and a 2.90 ERA in 12 games. Im Chan-gyu is also expected to be used. This season, Lim had a career-high 14-3 record with a 3.42 ERA as LG’s native ace.
LG’s opponents will be KT rather than NC
LG can now customize their strategy by looking at the playoffs (PO-5 best-of-three) between KT and NC, which start on the 30th. For LG, KT’s victory is more welcome. LG has a 10-6 record against second-place KT, but a weaker 6-10 record against NC. Against KT, LG has a team batting average of 0.301. Among the players with more than 50 at-bats, Hong Chang-ki was particularly strong at 0.364, while Park Hae-min, Kim Hyun-soo, and Oh Ji-hwan all hit over 3%. Austin, on the other hand, hit .226 on the mound and posted a team ERA of 4.67.
LG, the strongest team in the league, struggled against the NCs. LG’s team batting average against NC was just 0.248. Park Hae-min and Kim Hyun-soo hit .345 and .340, respectively, but Moon Sung-joo and Moon Bo-kyung batted in the low double digits and struck out in double digits. On the mound, the team’s 5.10 ERA in the NC was the highest among the 10 clubs.