LG, who missed 74.4% of the chance of winning, it's time for the batters to cheer up
The road to winning the championship for the first time in 29 years is tough. LG has no time to be sad about the loss of the first game of the Korean Series and should prepare for the next game immediately. LG lost 2-3 in Game 1 of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Korean Series against KT at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 7th. He started off nervously, missing the 74.4% chance (29/39) of winning the first round of the Korean Series. Starting pitcher Casey Kelly played his part in six ⅓ innings with four hits, two outs and six strikeouts. Lee Jung-yong, who took the mound afterwards, overcame the crisis with one out and runners on first and second bases in the top of the seventh inning, and Ham Deok-ju also blocked the eighth inning without losing a point. However, Ko Woo-suk, who finished in the top of the ninth inning, suffered an unexpected blow. With two outs and a runner on first base, he gave up a huge long ball to KT Moon Sang-chul that directly hit the left fence. Left fielder Moon Bo-kyung stretched his arm to catch the ball, but unfortunately missed it, and the first baseman Bae Jung-dae rushed to the home and lost a point. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop bowed his head after the game, saying, "I really wanted to win the first game, but I'm sorry I lost." However, he said, "Overall, I don't think the sense of the game is bad, so I'll look forward to tomorrow's game." In the second game to be held at the same venue on the 8th, the team must put the game back to square one. Manager Yeom predicted right-hander Choi Won-tae as the starting pitcher for Game 2. Choi Won-tae joined LG in a trade during the season. LG recruited Choi Won-tae in July to strengthen the depth of the starting lineup, risking bleeding to give Kiwoom fielder Lee Ju-hyung, pitcher Kim Dong-kyu, and the first round of the 2024 rookie draft. At the time, manager Yeom expressed satisfaction, saying, "The last puzzle to win the Korean Series by recruiting Choi Won-tae was solved." However, Choi's performance did not meet expectations. Prior to the trade, Kiwoom played with 6 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 3.25 in 17 games, but after wearing the LG uniform, it was somewhat disappointing. He was sluggish with three wins and three losses and an ERA of 6.70 in nine games, and was eliminated from the first division. At the end of the season, his ball power showed recovery, but he took 39 days off after taking the mound against Doosan on September 30. Even if there are no physical problems, there are inevitable concerns about the sense of practice. Moreover, Choi Won-tae showed weak performance against KT. He was shaken by five hits, one walk and two runs in three innings in a showdown with KT this season, and allowed four runs in two innings last year when he was playing for Kiwoom. There is a solid bullpen behind Choi Won-tae, but the batting line's performance should also follow. It is in desperate need of a hot attack like the regular season, which has raged with the team's batting average of .279, the second most hits (1,364), the first in RBIs (714 points), and the first in runs (767 points). "I think the pitchers played their roles overall," manager Yeom said after the first game, adding, "The failure to draw additional points because there were many leftovers in the batting line made the game difficult." As manager Yeom said, the batters had seven hits in a long and short period, but failed to gain strength by scoring only two runs. In response to this, KT will have William Cuevas as the starting pitcher for Game 2. Cuevas previously pitched in two playoff (PO) games against NC and did his part with one win and one loss and a 4.00 ERA. However, Cuevas showed particularly weak performance with an ERA of 11.45 in three regular-season showdowns with LG this year. In particular, he was greatly shaken by Park Hae-min (3 hits in 5 at-bats), Moon Bo-kyung (3 hits in 5 at-bats, 2 homers), Kim Hyun-soo (4 hits in 7 at-bats), Park Dong-won (1 hits in 2 at-bats), and Moon Sung-joo (3 hits in 7 at-bats). In order for LG to turn the game back to square one in the second game, it must eventually bet on hitting. It remains to be seen whether the LG lineup will show a strong side to Cuevas in the Korean Series.