The first place in the first half of the year ended in 2547 days! However, the real outcome is coming... Will KIA find a breakthrough
The first place in the first half of the year ended in 2547 days! However, the real outcome is coming... Will KIA find a breakthrough
Blog Article
It took more than seven years to finish the first half in first place.
The KIA Tigers have confirmed its No. 1 ranking in the first half of the 2024 KBO League. After beating the Samsung Lions by a score of 9 to 5 after a bloody battle in the 10th inning at the Daegu Lions Park on Sunday, the team recorded 46 wins, two draws and 33 losses throughout the season. As the runner-up LG Twins lost to the Kiwoom Heroes on the day, the team recorded 45 wins, two draws and 37 losses, successfully widening its gap versus the latter to 2.5 games. With this result, Kia will end the first half of the season by ranking first regardless of the results of its game against Samsung from May 3 to May 4.
It is the first time in seven seasons since the 2017 season that KIA ended the first half of the first half of the season. At the time of closing the first half on July 13, 2017, KIA was ranked first with 57 wins and 28 losses, eight games ahead of then runner-up NC Dinos. Using this momentum, he went straight to the Korean Series as 룸알바 No. 1 in the pennant race, beat the Doosan Bears, and successfully achieved V11's dream.
Looking back, it was a series of crises.
Up until April, Kia was on the verge of collapse. Having grabbed four straight wins since the season's opening, Kia has jumped to the lead with seven straight wins in April. It seemed to solidify its lead with 21 wins and 10 losses and a win rate of 0.677 through April. Although its pace of building wins slowed down in May (13 wins, 1 draw and 11 losses), it seemed that the team is widening its gap with the second-place finisher while maintaining the top spot with a win-loss margin of +13. However, due to a lack of starting pitchers, a burden on the bullpen, and slumping batters, the team eventually lost its lead by 0.5 games on June 7.
Taking advantage of LG's losing streak, KIA, which rose to the lead by 0.5 game on June 12, maintained its position even amid a pursuit of the second-ranked team, eventually resulting in its confirmation of No. 1 ranking in the first half of the year. It was through concentration and effort that enabled it to secure a difficult match at every crisis point.
The joy of being No. 1 in the first half in 2,547 days, but it is too early to feel safe.
Still, the gap with the second place can depend on the results of the three consecutive games. Recently, the batting lineup has shown signs of revival, but the bullpen problem, which has shown signs of exhaustion since late May, has not been resolved. The gap between closer Jung Hae-young is filled by collective management, but it is a stopgap measure that will add to the burden.
KIA, which took a breather after confirming its first place in the first half with the victory against Samsung, will immediately begin its schedule in the second half after a break in the All-Star Game. Although it is a short break period, looking back on the "opening closure" caused by the cancellation of rain earlier, the physical strength problem of the exhausted bullpen is expected to be resolved to some extent. If the bullpen structure is established after Jung Hae-young returns, and the rebounding batting line continues, it is worth expecting a better result than at the end of the first half.