The Korean Baseball Organization’s top three, led by LG, SSG, and Lotte, is becoming increasingly clear.
The weekly games in the final week of May in the 2023 KBO League were characterized by strong performances by the top teams, which further widened the gap between them and the teams in the middle of the pack. It was also characterized by the rebound of the bottom two teams, 9th-ranked Hanwha and 10th-ranked KT, which improved their weekly winning percentage by more than 5%.
First place LG maintained its lead from the 20th with a 4-2 record. Their season record is 30 wins, 1 draw and 16 losses (0.652 winning percentage), with a win-loss margin of over +14 already.
LG has held the lead for the 10th day. Photo by Kim Young-gu
After posting a 2-1 win in the midweek three-game series against SSG in Munhak, which was also called the Korean Series in the preview, LG wrapped up a successful six-game road trip with a 2-1 win in the three-game series against KIA in Gwangju over the weekend.
If we look at LG’s weekly games, we can see that there are some games that were lost due to poor execution, such as the game against KIA on the 27th, but most of them are characterized by a good process of ‘hitting well and blocking well’. Gradually moving towards full strength, LG is dominating with 15 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses in May with a winning percentage of 0.750.
Second-place SSG, despite their disappointment, managed to keep LG within one game of them. With a season record of 28 wins, 1 draw and 16 losses (0.636 winning percentage), they are one game behind LG in second place.
Their biggest disappointment came in the midweek home three-game series against LG, where they only won one and lost two. SSG, who battled LG for the title in the regular season last year, has struggled this season, going 2-4 against them.
Second-place SSG Landers also maintained a one-game lead over first-place LG. Photo by Kim Young-gu
For SSG, it will be even more important to bounce back against LG, as they have a 3-1 record against Lotte, who are also in the running for the title. As a result, these results are even more important as the field of championship contenders is gradually narrowing down to three teams in the top three.
SSG will also be disappointed with Sky. The team’s 14-3 victory over Doosan in Jamsil on the 26th completely lifted their spirits, but the rain that poured down on the Seoul metropolitan area on the 27th and 28th forced them to cancel back-to-back games.
Third-place Lotte also had a successful week with four wins and two losses. With a season record of 26 wins and 16 losses (0.619 winning percentage), Lotte is on its way to becoming a full-fledged “winning team” by maintaining a win-loss margin of more than +10. They are in third place, two games behind first-place LG and one game behind second-place SSG.
Lotte won two consecutive series, the midweek ‘Nakdong River Derby’ against NC in Sajik and the weekend away series against Kiwoom in Gochuk, with a 2-1 record.
The Lotte Giants successfully completed the last week of May with 4 wins and 2 losses. Photo by Chun Jeong-hwan
The only disappointing result was the loss against Kiwoom on May 28, when the bullpen, which had been one of the strongest this season, gave up a walk-off home run. However, it is encouraging to see that aside from that game, the team is gradually gaining two-hit steadiness, which has resulted in easy wins.
In fact, Lotte was tied with LG for the most harmonious two-hitter last week. They finished the week with a team ERA of 2.72, third in the league, a team batting average of 0.293, and a team OPS of 0.725, second.
With better offensive and defensive cohesion, Rodeigi, who is currently showing strong team colors and late-game stability, has a good chance of continuing its current good run. Lotte is gradually shaking off the doubters and establishing itself as a stable powerhouse.스포츠토토
The current top three has been solidified for over a month now. At the beginning of the season, SSG was dominant and consistently battling for the lead with LG, but after Lotte moved up to third place on the 26th of last month, three teams have been battling for the top three spots. LG continues to hold on to the lead and has been chipping away at it, but second-place SSG and third-place Lotte are not slowing down.
De are not slowing down either.
Who will be the first team to take the lead among the three, and what kind of ranking changes and head-to-head results will occur? Baseball fans will be increasingly interested in watching the fierce competition between LG, SSG, and Lotte.