Did the renewed sense of crisis become the driving force behind the loss streak?
KIA Tigers won the game against Changwon NC Dinos on the 26th. The content was an all-out war. After replacement starter Kim Geon-guk pitched 4⅔ innings, the bullpen was fully mobilized. Starting with Dae-yu Kim, Hyun-sik Jang, Jun-young Lee, Lim Lim-young, and Sang-hyeon Jeon took the mound one after another. Closing pitcher Jeong Hae-young also went on the mound in the bottom of the 8th inning with 2 outs and 1st and 2nd bases and played multiple innings.안전놀이터
KIA is scheduled for a double header with NC on the 27th. Mario Sanchez and Lee Ui-ri will start in games 1 and 2. The game on the 26th, which was played ahead of this schedule, was a game that had to be played while conserving as much stamina on the mound as possible. Despite this, KIA chose to win by mobilizing all of its bullpen.
KIA’s sense of crisis was that great. KIA, which had only 1 win and 9 losses in the last 10 games, was once again on the verge of collapsing with a winning percentage of .500. In the meantime, Na Seong-beom, the core of the batting lineup, and top fielder Choi Hyeong-woo faced major negative news as they were each out for the season. There is still a possibility of advancing to the top 5, but the gap between the two central hitters, who have hit 33 home runs and 138 RBI together so far, is very large. We have no choice but to give our all to every game of the remaining schedule.
The effect of unity was evident even before the game. The players hung uniforms with the names and numbers of Na Seong-beom and Choi Hyeong-woo on one side of the dugout and entered the game. Although the season ended early due to injury, it contained the meaning of ‘we will be together until the end.’ It was a sign for unity.
KIA’s all-out war would be fortunate if it succeeded, but if it failed, the damage would inevitably be significant. While NC was persistently pursuing, KIA succeeded in maintaining its lead and winning. There is still a long way to go, but it is meaningful that we have found a clue to a rebound.
KIA coach Kim Jong-guk gave credit for the victory to the players, saying, “Today’s game was a victory created by all the players who played on the field, regardless of specific players. Although there will be a difficult schedule in the future, I hope they will do their best like they did today.” Kim Geon-guk, who retired without a win or loss, said, “The team is currently in a difficult situation, but all the players talked before the game, saying, ‘Let’s solve the game by helping each other with the shortcomings.’ With that spirit coming together, we won today.”
The first win against NC is meaningful in that KIA broke its losing streak and took the lead in rebounding. The process that produced the results is also worth noting. Whether this level of concentration is maintained during the remaining schedule will likely be a deciding factor in whether or not the team will play fall baseball.
