The KIA Tigers’ dominance is likely to accelerate. This is because the long-awaited return of closing pitcher Jeong Hae-young and starting first baseman Lee Woo-sung from injury is imminent. The two players are likely to join the first team together after playing in the Futures League game on Tuesday of the week.
KIA achieved a dramatic comeback victory 4-3 against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok on July 28. The gap between the two teams widened again to 6 games when the second-place LG Twins lost on the same day.
KIA, which escaped a 4-game losing streak, also succeeded in becoming the first team to reach 60 wins in the season. The first team to reach 60 wins in the KBO League history has won the regular season championship with a 76.5% probability (26 out of 34 times). They have also won the Korean Series (excluding the first and second half of the league and the two major leagues) with a 61.8% probability (21 out of 34 times).
KIA, down 0-3, belatedly started to chase with Choi Won-jun’s 2-run home run in the top of the 8th. Then, with Kim Sun-bin and Byun Woo-hyeok’s dramatic back-to-back home runs in the top of the 9th with two outs, they experienced a thrilling comeback victory.
KIA, which succeeded in turning the tide in Sunday’s game, is expected to gain more momentum in defending the lead next week with the news of two key players
returning from injury. First, starting first baseman Lee Woo-seong, who was out with a hamstring injury, already announced his imminent return by hitting two hits in his return game in the Futures League on the 27th.
KIA manager Lee Beom-ho said, “Lee Woo-seong will play one more Futures League game next Tuesday (the 30th). He was a designated hitter in Saturday’s game, so he plans to play defense in Tuesday’s game. We will receive data on his defense that day, so we will decide when to return based on that.” The manager expected that the team’s batting lineup would be strengthened with Lee Woo-sung’s addition. In particular, given the current infield composition where right-handed batters are more needed, the news of Lee Woo-sung’s imminent return is even more welcome.
The manager said, “Lee Woo-sung changed his defensive position to first baseman in order to strengthen his offensive power. Other batters are also hitting well, but if Lee Woo-sung plays in the 6th and 7th batting order, we can enjoy a greater synergy effect. The defense is in the process of gradually adapting, so it will be better next year than this year, and the year after that than next year. It will be okay if he just shows off his offense.”
Current closing pitcher Jeong Hae-young is also on the verge of returning to the first team after recovering from a shoulder injury. Jeong Hae-young pitched in the Futures League against the NC Dinos on July 23 (0.1 innings, 3 hits, 1 home run, 2 runs) and against the Samsung Lions on July 27 (1 inning, 2 hits, 1 home run, 2 runs).
The manager said, “Jung Hae-young will make one more appearance in the Futures League next Tuesday (the 30th) and will be called up to the first team right away.”
From the perspective of the KIA bench, Choi Ji-min needs to come back to life along with Jung Hae-young in order to gain more power in operating the sure-win team. Manager Lee is currently mulling over how to utilize Choi Ji-min, who recently returned from a 10-day break.
Manager Lee emphasized, “I can’t not use Choi Ji-min. Choi Ji-min, Jang Hyun-sik, and Jeon Sang-hyun are pitchers with the best pitching power, so we need to utilize them as much as possible. However, I think we need to consider the timing of his appearance, whether to use him in the 8th inning, a critical situation, or to bring him forward to the 6th inning. When his pitching condition is not good, we should use him in front, and when it is good, we should use him in the back. We need to make good judgments about these things.”
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