A year ago, Kiwoom Heroes were majestic. Kiwoom, who finished the first half while fiercely chasing SSG Landers, who were in first place at the time, achieved a playoff upset in the postseason and advanced to the Korean Series. Kiwoom ended up in the runner-up after a fierce battle with SSG in the Korean Series.
Kiwoom defined and prepared this season as 'win now'. This was the reason why outfielder Lee Jeong-hoo, the star of the game, was going abroad as a posting after the end of this season. So, while Kiwoom maintained its runner-up power in the Korean Series last year, unlike usual last winter, Kiwoom also showed an active move to reinforce its power. Kiwoom, which made up for its weaknesses by recruiting outfielder Lee Hyeong-jong and pitcher Won Jong-hyun, was evaluated as capable of challenging the presidency this season.
However, when the lid was opened, Kiwoom in the first half suffered from sluggishness after sluggishness. This was the reason why the starting line injury bothered Kiwoom throughout the first half. Won Jong-hyun, who should be a new source of strength for his weak point in the bullpen, spent a long time in rehabilitation due to elbow pain, but recently the pain recurred and he underwent elbow surgery. The season was ruled out. Although he kept the team starting mound for a long time, he had to part with Eric Yokishi, who left due to an adductor muscle injury, in the middle of the season.
Veteran Lee Yong-kyu, who played the center of the team last year, has also been out for more than two months due to an injury to the back of his right hand. While Kim Hui-jip (hamstring) and Shin Jun-woo (ankle ligament) recently left due to injuries, Lim Ji-yeol, who had a good feeling at hitting, was also decided to leave for a long time due to a dune thumb fracture.
Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki sighed deeply before the last game of the first half, saying, “Unfortunately, even Lim Ji-yeol, who had the best hitting feeling among the team’s batters recently, was left out.”
In many ways, the '100% power' operation that Kiwoom envisioned before the season is not easy. Edison Russell, a foreign hitter who was ambitiously re-recruited, was recently out due to a wrist injury and was replaced by a new foreign hitter, Ronnie Dawson. Whether foreign batters step on the KBO league stage in the middle of the season will adapt is a question mark. It is difficult to view veteran infielder Lee Won-seok, who was brought in as a trade, as a 'game changer'.
In the end, it was not an easy task to overcome the synergistic effect of Lee Jung-hoo, who showed off his 'Career High Mode' last year, and Yasiel Puig, who returned with 'Cuban Monster'. Compared to last year, Lee Jeong-hoo's momentum has also weakened somewhat, so the Kiwoom team's downtrend is more felt.
Kiwoom's batting line showed the league's lower batting indicators in the first half of the season, ranking 8th in batting average (0.254), 8th in on-base percentage (0.328), and 8th in slugging percentage (0.347). In addition, the team ranked at the bottom of the league in home runs (35 homers) and the bottom of the league in stolen bases (33), showing no outstanding offensive direction from either side. It is a picture that the unexpected line injury and the team's strength-enhancing game numbers thrown last winter eventually led to defeat.
If this season's win-now opportunity is blown away like this, Kiwoom is expected to be in a more difficult situation in the 2024 season. Filling the vacancy left by Lee Jung-hoo is highly likely to be a difficult challenge even for the heroic corps of the world. In the end, if there is no significant change in the current power, in 2024 Kim Hye-seong alone has no choice but to become the 'boy's head'.
Kiwoom stayed in 9th place in the league with a 7-game losing streak at the end of the first half. Of course, we cannot let go of the strings of hope in the second half. Still, the gap with the fifth-place Lotte Giants is a number that can be pursued in the second half by 3.5 games. Above all, Kiwoom has the most powerful starting lineup in the league. The stability of the native starting lineup, which consists of Ahn Woo-jin, Choi Won-tae, and Jeong Chan-heon, can be a great help in the second half of the race.
In the end, the problem is the team's batting line and the team's bullpen. In addition to the effect of new foreign hitters joining the team, a new face must emerge from the team bullpen. I wonder how coach Hong Won-ki will shake off the memories of the difficult first half and prepare for a rebound in the second half.
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