Chances are rising that the fifth-place tiebreaker will be achieved for the first time in the history of Korean baseball. KT and SSG have tied for fifth place with two more games to go.
SSG won the away game against NC Dinosaurs 10-1 at Changwon NC Park on Wednesday, continuing its hope to advance to the fifth round. Starting pitcher Elias pitched seven scoreless innings and his team’s batting lineup exploded. Han Yu-sum hit a solo home run in the fourth inning. Choi Jeong’s two-run double, Herredia’s one-run timely hit, and Han Yu-sum’s one-run double scored in the seventh inning to lead the team to a 5-0 victory. He scored five runs and scored a big inning in the eighth inning to seal the victory.
SSG swept all two consecutive games against NC and caught up with KT. The two teams have recorded 70 wins, two draws and 70 losses in 142 games each. If KT and SSG have the same win or loss in the remaining two games, the fifth-ranked tiebreaker will determine the team that will advance to the “Autumn Baseball.”
According to the KBO rules, if the fifth-place team in the regular season is two teams, a single game will be held on the eve of the wild card game. Following the 2021 first-place match, the 2022 fifth-place match was introduced.
Meanwhile, if the final round for fifth place is successful, it will take place on Oct. 1 at Suwon, KT’s home stadium. KT and SSG are tied at 8-8, but KT will lead the team in multiple points.
KT will hold two consecutive games against Kiwoom from July 27 to 28. SSG will play against Hanwha on April 28 and Kiwoom on April 30.
KT plans to have a must-win strategy based on foreign pitchers. It plans to have Cuevas as its starting pitcher on April 27 and Benjamin as its starting pitcher on April 28. Cuevas was strong against Kiwoom with one win, one loss and an earned run average of 1.38. He pitched 26 innings and allowed seven runs (four earned runs). Benjamin also played in three games against Kiwoom this season, and was very strong with three wins and no loss with an earned run average of 0.47.
Kiwoom was removed from the first team entry on the 25th due to concerns about injury due to the uncomfortable back of the shoulder of the first starter Hurado. If he was feeling well, it was his turn to start against KT. It’s a relief for KT. Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said that rookie Jeon Jun-pyo will be the starting pitcher on the 27th and Cho Young-gun will be the starting pitcher on the 28th. 먹튀검증
Kim Kwang-hyun will be the starting pitcher at the match against Hanwha on Sunday. Anderson will most likely start at the match against Kiwoom on Sunday. Kim had one win and one loss with an earned run average of 3.27 in two games against Hanwha. As Ryu will no longer take the mound, it is time for Hanwha to start as a substitute against SSG on Sunday. The team has an advantage in starting matchups.
Anderson had a good performance against Kiwoom with three wins and no losses with a 2.21 ERA in four games. He became a winning pitcher with one run in six innings even after taking the mound after four days off on the 19th. Anderson became a losing pitcher with six runs in two innings against LG on the 24th, when he took the mound after two consecutive four-day breaks, and this time he can take the mound against Kiwoom after taking a five-day break.
The problem is that Heyesus will be the starting pitcher for Kiwoom. Heyesus (178 strikeouts), who is competing for the title of the NC Hearts (182 strikeouts), showed his commitment to take the mound in the final game. Heyesus pitched in one game against SSG and allowed seven hits, six strikeouts, and four runs in four ⅔ innings.
Kiwoom unintentionally took the key to the 5th place competition. They put the starting rotation in order, but SSG to face Heysus was at a disadvantage. Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki expressed the difficult situation by saying, “What if coach Lee Sung-yong deletes my phone number?”