Different. Maybe it’s because the image I saw at the fall baseball game was too intense. The intense burgundy color doesn’t stand out. Maybe it’s been a long time, I thought.
Last fall, the growth was intense. The passion of the players, who focused on the content of the game regardless of win or loss, 메이저놀이터 changed the main characters of fall baseball. At that time, the “young hero corps” gave off a strong impression that they were enjoying baseball.
The real attraction of the Heroes is the process of preparing for the game. They are the first of the 10 teams to establish the image of a team that prepares before team training. They prepare for the game according to their individual routines, and the team training is only a final check. The team’s impressive performance in the postseason (PS) was also captured in the preparation process. The full swing was abandoned and the batting stance was simplified.
Since they had to clinch in the semifinals, it was a way to prepare for the more physical pitchers of the top teams. The change paid off. While SSG’s power was overwhelming in the Korean Series, the way they pushed it to Game 6 was enough to get any baseball fan excited.
In fact, the Heroes’ appeal isn’t just about the big hits. After the departures of Kang Jeong-ho, Kim Ha-seong, and Park Byung-ho, the team hasn’t had a 40-home run destroyer in a season. Even with the trio, the other players played active baseball, hitting sharp line drives and then using their quick feet to advance. Unlike other teams, the Heroes didn’t have any big guys. They were unique, and every year they became the team that realized the underdog uprising.
This year was different. From batting practice, there’s no tightness. There are several players with their eyes over the fence. Instead of the usual “low and fast,” the team’s preparations seem to be shouting “high and far,” which is what a powerful hitter should aim for, but it doesn’t seem to be a challenge worthy of erasing their strengths.
In 15 games from Nov. 11-27, Kiwoom hitters had 119 hits, including five home runs, with 47 RBIs and 47 runs scored. A come-from-behind walk-off win by Lim Ji-yeol against Gocheok Lotte on Aug. 28 didn’t ease the bats’ frustration.
Here are his numbers from 15 PS games last year. He had 140 hits, including 11 home runs, with 64 RBIs and 70 runs scored. The statistical performance was even better in the Fall Festival, which is a testament to the strength of the Heroes’ bats considering they were at their peak concentration and faced a series of ace pitchers. In their last 15 games (excluding the Gwangju KIA game), they drew 48 walks and struck out 107 times, while in the PS, they drew 42 walks and struck out 93 times. This means that the batting lineup is not as strong as it was last fall.
I checked another number. In last year’s Fall Classic, the Heroes bats generated 334 at-bats, with 92 balls between 140 km/h and 0-30 degrees of launch. The average batted ball speed was 155 kilometers per hour with a launch angle of 13.8 degrees. This year, he produced 84 of his 229 batted balls.
As a team, the hitters who were hitting the ball at 10.2 degrees and 134 mph in the Fall Classic are now hitting it at 17.2 degrees and 137 mph. The numbers also show that hitters are lifting their swings instead of hitting hard line drives.
It’s not a matter of right or wrong. No one can say that it’s wrong to aim for fast, big hits instead of low, fast ones. Still, it’s disappointing. If it lacks the liveliness of a live fish, it can become a ‘one of them’. If you’re a naming rights sponsor, you’re going to be less appealing.
