Athlete fitness emergency in the heatwave
Doosan’s Yang Ji returns, ready to fight back
KIA chases with revitalized batting lineup
Lotte, Over the hump and on the rebound
Mid-tier teams battle it out for a spot in fall baseball. With the ongoing heat wave making player health a major factor, it will be interesting to see which team will have the last laugh as the Doosan Bears, KIA Tigers and Lotte Giants look to punch their postseason tickets.
The fifth-ranked Doosan Bears will be looking to solidify their position without their star catcher Yang Ji Woo. After being sidelined for eight days with a side injury, Yang made a quick recovery and returned sooner than expected. Doosan will look to turn things around in a three-game series against the Kiwoom Heroes starting on the 22nd before taking on SSG Landers at home this weekend. Doosan has a poor record against SSG this season with a 2-6 record, but the addition of offensive core Yang Yang-ji will be a big boost for the team as they look to bounce back.
Sixth-ranked KIA will play a road game against the fearsome KT WIZ before starting a three-game home stand against the Hanwha Eagles on the 25th. KIA has been very strong against KT this season, going 6-1. With a team batting average of .335 in the last five games, it will be interesting to see if KIA can break KT’s momentum with the help of their hot bats. KIA infielder Park Chan-ho and catcher Kim Tae-gun have shown the power of their bats, with both hitting in the high teens in their last five games.안전놀이터
Seventh-ranked Lotte will face its toughest test yet before the “Fall Feast” with back-to-back series against the first- and second-place teams. Lotte will play a three-game series against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul from the 22nd to the 24th, followed by a series against KT at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 25th.
Both teams are tough opponents for Lotte. Lotte is 5-6 against LG and 3-9 against KT this season. Lotte’s recent form against Kiwoom has been subdued, losing all three games by three points or less.
The momentum of the fourth-place NC Dinos is also scary. With a three-game road trip against third-place SSG starting on the 22nd, NC is just three games behind SSG, and if NC can take all three games, they could be looking at a direct ticket to the playoffs. NC will have Lee Jae-hak back in the starting lineup after being sidelined with a left foot injury.