After nine days of KBO action, the first three series of the season have come and gone and it seems like we are starting to get a grasp of who these teams are and how they will compete over the course of the season. The NC Dinos sit atop the league standings with a record of 7-1, followed by the Lotte Giants and Kiwoom Heroes at 6-3. The SK Wyverns and KT Wiz are tied for last place with records of 1-7, and the remaining five teams hold records between 5-3 and 3-6. The KBO has provided fans with a wide range of outcomes early on in the season and the trend continued last night. We saw some outstanding pitchers duels as well as some offensive explosions. Check below for details if you missed any of the action!
Miss some of the action from last night? Click on the links below to watch!
Hanwha Eagles: 4, Kia Tigers: 1
Doosan Bears: 7, Lotte Giants: 4
Samsung Lions: 8, Kiwoom Heroes: 5
Let’s take a look at the top performers from the day:
Best Hitters
Preston Tucker: (RF, Kia Tigers): 2-4, R. Tucker continues to carry the load for the Tigers offense, adding a single and a double to his impressive hit tally. Tucker also scored the only run for the Tigers last night, and his average is now up to .406 on the young season.
Oh Sun-Jin: (SS, Hanwha Eagles): 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB. In a game with little offense, every contribution mattered. Oh’s only hit was a double, but it came in the first inning and scored two runs to put Hanwha in control of the game early.
Oh Jae-Il: (1B, Doosan Bears): 4-5, HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI. The Doosan first baseman absolutely raked last night. Oh finished just a triple shy of the cycle, raising his average to an absurd .429 on year. Oh’s home run in the seventh broke the game open for Doosan, propelling them to a 7-4 win.
Lee Dae-Ho: (1B, Lotte Giants): 4-4, 4 1B. Lee wasn’t flashy last night, but he didn’t need to be to get his name in this column. Lee had a perfect night at the plate in spite of his team’s loss, and they will look to him to continue his production at the plate in Lotte’s upcoming series against Hanwha.
Lee Won-Seok: (3B, Samsung Lions): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB. This was a complete day at the dish for Lee. He showcased patience by taking two walks, as well as power by blasting a home run in the first inning of the game. It was nice to see Lee looking like himself at the plate, as the Samsung cleanup batter is only hitting a measly .167 to start the season.
Kim Sang-Su: (2B, Samsung Lions): 3-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI. Kim did his job as the Lions leadoff hitter, reaching base in three of his four at bats. Kim set the tone for the game with a lead off double, and added another in the ninth before being replaced by a pinch runner. Samsung had a rough start to the year, but Kim’s offense propelled them to their first series win of the season.
Jeong Keun-Woo: (PH, LG Twins): 1-1, 1 RBI. Jeong only had one at bat for the Twins, but he made it matter. Pinch hitting in the bottom of the ninth, Jeong hit a single into right center field to score Oh Ji-Hwan from third and win the game for LG.
Aaron Altherr: (CF, NC Dinos): 1-4, 1 RBI. The ex-Phillie prospect came up clutch for the Dinos last night. In a pitcher’s duel, his single off Lee Sang-Hwa in the bottom of the eighth scored the only run of the game in a 1-0 victory for the first place Dinos.
Best Pitchers
Koo Chang-mo (NC Dinos): 8 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 10 K, 1 BB. Koo has begun the season on fire, throwing his second-straight scoreless start en route to his second win of the season for the Dinos. The 23-year-old left-hander led the league in strikeouts on Thursday, sending down 10 batters on the day over eight innings, while staying out of trouble in every inning but the sixth. He left the game with the score still knotted at zero after throwing 106 pitches, and his offense picked him up in the bottom of the eighth to give him the victory. He now has 18 strikeouts to only three walks in 14 innings pitched while sporting a sub-one WHIP so far this season.
Today's KBO K Leader: Chang-mo Koo of the @NCdinos_fan
8 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 10 K, 1 BB.
He was straight 🎨 with that FB today. #ncdinos pic.twitter.com/EVpGCMKuMq
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) May 14, 2020
Bae Je-seong (KT Wiz) 7 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 7 K, 1 BB. On the mound opposite of Koo, Bae took the bump for the Wiz, putting up an impressive performance of his own. The 23-year-old right-hander shutout the Dinos for seven innings, sending seven back to the bench on strikeouts along the way. However, despite a few clean innings he also managed to get into some trouble that his defense was able to bail him out of, including a throw home from the left fielder by way of the shortstop that saved a run in the bottom of the seventh. Bae’s strikeout numbers were a stark contrast from his first game of the year, in which he K’d just one batter in 6⅓ innings.
Jang Min-jae (Hanwha Eagles) 7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 5 K, 0 BB. Jang bounced back from a rough season-opening start last week with a superb performance to lead the Eagles to the win. He allowed baserunners in three of the first four frames without allowing a run before cruising through the fifth and sixth innings. The 30-year-old right-hander gave up his lone run in the seventh after former major leaguer Preston Tucker led the inning off with a double and eventually came around to score. While his season numbers still don’t look spectacular two games in, Jang’s performance was a turn for the better after a disappointing opener.
Tyler Wilson (LG Twins) 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 7 K, 2 BB. Wilson, who last played in MLB back in 2017 with the Baltimore Orioles, was solid on Thursday getting the no-decision in a win against the Wyverns. Much like Jang before, the 30-year-old American right-hander bounced back from a bad start to begin the season — though Wilson’s seven earned runs in 4⅓ was a bit uglier than Jang’s. Still, he was steady in his second start, keeping his team in the game long enough to snatch the win, and will look to keep the momentum going in his next outing.
Friday’s Key Matchup
Won Tae-in (Samsung Lions) vs. So Hyeong-jun (KT Wiz): Samsung’s Won comes into Friday’s matchup sporting a 3.00 ERA along with bloated 1.67 WHIP over six innings in two appearances — one start, one in relief. The 20-year-old got the win in his previous start against Kia, putting up a modest performance just good enough for the first victory of his sophomore season. Opposite of him is KT’s 18-year-old rookie So, who so far has held his own having given up two earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two over five innings to win his KBO debut last Friday.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)