The KIA Tigers have forgotten how to lose. The winning streak, which started on March 24 against the Suwon KT Wiz, continued on March 3 against the Incheon SSG Landers. It was their first eight-game winning streak in two years and one month since August 2021.스포츠토토
The pitching staff has done its job, but the biggest driving force has been the bats. During this stretch, KIA had a team batting average of .337, the highest in the league. In eight games, they scored double-digit runs four times, bombarding the opposing mound relentlessly.
KIA’s bats were at their peak during the 1-3 series against SSG. They scored a combined 30 runs in the three games and hit eight home runs. Considering SSG’s Landers Field in Incheon is a hitter-friendly ballpark, that’s a lot of home runs.
The table-setters, Park Chan-ho and Kim Do-young, went 13-for-5 with a .385 batting average, one home run and two RBIs, and 11-for-5 with a .455 batting average, one home run and three RBIs, respectively, over the three-game series. He was a hard worker at the plate, but he was also the spearhead of the offense with his home runs and RBIs.
Their performances are mirrored by the records of Socrates Brito, Na Sung-beom, and Choi Hyung-woo, who make up the center of KIA’s batting order. All three players are among the top players in the division in the second half alone with 24 RBIs (tied for eighth), 31 RBIs (tied for third), and 28 RBIs (tied for sixth), respectively. Their solving skills have been aided by a strong run-scoring performance from the tablesetters.
The tablesetters are as strong as they were in 2017, when they won the overall title, and their manager is happy with their performance. “Park Chan-ho and Kim Do-young are doing so well right now,” Kia head coach Kim Jong-kook smiled when asked by reporters about the virtuous cycle of the batting lineup with Tablesetter before the game against SSG on the 2nd.
“They’re getting on base, but they’re also solving (chances) and stealing bases. “They’re getting on base, but they’re also solving (chances) and stealing bases, so in a way, they’re leading the team’s offense,” he said with satisfaction, adding, “(They’re) distracting the other team’s battery and distracting them a lot.
The players have also noticed a change in the batting lineup. Han Jun-soo, who along with Kim Tae-gun is the backbone of KIA’s defense, said, “When we play, we don’t feel like we’re going to lose, and even when we’re losing, we feel like we’re going to win. The seniors (in the batting order) are doing so well. When I look at the batting lineup, I can’t take a break.”
The two players, who have had to deal with slumps and injuries, are also in good spirits. With a tablesetter who has perfected the three-rhythm of ball, run, and week, Kia is aiming higher.