‘Rough 2, 3 out of 5.’
In the 2023 season, 10 Korean Professional Baseball (KBO토토사이트) league teams are turning around the halfway point of the season one after another, and the competition in the middle is getting fiercer. The Lotte Giants, who ranked first in the league at the beginning of the season, are in fourth place in the ‘five’ group. Lotte, which is trying to advance to fall baseball and win the Korean Series, seems to have to fight fiercely for rankings in every game.
Lotte lost 2-4 in the 8th game of the season against the 5th place Doosan Bears held at Munsu Stadium in Ulsan on the 2nd. Lotte recorded a losing series with 1 win and 2 losses in 3 consecutive matches against Doosan. Lotte maintained 4th place with a total of 36 wins and 35 losses, but the game gap with 5th place Doosan was reduced to 1 game.
Lotte did not gain the driving force for victory as the batting line was silent throughout the three consecutive matches against Doosan. Lotte scored only 4 points in the 3 consecutive matches against Doosan. On the other hand, Lotte suffered an unfortunate defeat by giving Doosan a final home run and RBI in two consecutive games on the 1st and 2nd. If Lotte had a winning series against Doosan, it could have beat NC and rise to third place, but the opportunity was missed.
As of the 3rd, each team in the KBO League played 69 games (KIA) to 77 games (Kiwoom). Lotte played 71 games. As of this day, LG and SSG are competing for the lead by establishing a ‘two-strong’ system. The difference between SSG (45-28) in second place and NC (36-34) in third place is 7.5 games.
NC-Lotte-Doosan-Kiwoom-KT’s ‘five-fold’ competition is on the rise. The difference between 3rd place NC and 7th place KT (33-37) is only 3 games. In particular, the 5-fold competition became more intense as NC suffered a sweep loss to KT in the last weekend’s three-game series. KT appeared as a dark horse that ignited the 5-fold competition by winning a sweep against 3rd place NC and 4th place Lotte.
Hanwha-KIA-Samsung have settled in the ‘three medicines’. The difference between 7th place KT and 8th place Hanwha is 1.5 games. Since June 12, 2005, Hanwha has won 8 consecutive wins in a whopping 6593 days, laying the foundation for a mid-level jump. Hanwha won four consecutive winning series against KIA, NC, KT, and Samsung in pitching harmony.
It is now time for Lotte to step up to the top in earnest ahead of the halfway point of the season. Lotte won 9-16 during the month of June, with a win rate of only 0.360. The team’s key players Na Kyun-an, Noh Jin-hyeok, and Jeong-hoon were out of full force due to injuries, and the starting pitching staff was sluggish, and it passed through a difficult month.
However, as Noh Jin-hyeok, Na Kyun-an, Jung-hoon, and Choi Jun-yong are expected to return from injuries and join the first team, Lotte prepared a stepping stone for a rebound. If Noh Jin-hyuk and Jung-hoon’s blows revive, and Na Kyun-an and Choi Joon-yong play their part as starting pitchers and pitchers, respectively, Lotte Electric Power is expected to regain the momentum of the hot April and May.
On the 4th, Lotte starts a three-game series against Hanwha in Daejeon. After 3 consecutive matches with Hanwha, 3 consecutive matches with LG (Sajik) and NC (Changwon) are scheduled. Lotte should focus its efforts on narrowing the gap with the top ranks ahead of the KBO League All-Star Game to be held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 15th.