KIA Tigers coach Kim Jong-kook expressed regret over his defeat in the first game of the second half. Emphasizing the failure to make 메이저사이트 good use of the scoring opportunity at the beginning of the game, he voiced the need for batters to make efforts.
KIA lost 2-5 in Game 10 of the season against Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 21st. With two consecutive losses, the ranking fell one step down to seventh place, 0.5 games behind the KT Wiz.
The cause of KIA’s defeat was the slump in the batting lineup. In the bottom of the second inning with two outs and runners on second base, Lee Woo-sung hit a timely RBI against Doosan ace Raul Alcantara to get the first run, but later had difficulty scoring additional points.
In particular, it was regrettable that Socrates stepped down with a foul fly to third baseman in the bottom of the third inning with two outs and a full base. In the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and runners on second base, both Kim Do-young and Na Sung-beom bowed their heads as they ended up with an infield fly ball.
Starting pitcher Mario Sanchez pitched well by blocking Doosan’s batters without losing a point until the fourth inning, but the game was overturned 1-2 as Jose Rojas allowed a home run in the top of the fifth inning and Huh Kyung-.
The KIA bench showed its willingness not to give up the game by putting in must-win pitchers such as Choi Ji-min, Lim Ki-young, and Jeon Sang-hyun even when they were trailing. However, in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and a full base, Choi Ji-min hit a three-run triple by Doosan Park Joon-young, and the flow completely shifted toward Doosan.
The batting line was still weak. Although he recovered one point with Socrates’ solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, he suffered a bitter defeat as he left nine bases on the 21st alone.
Head coach Kim Jong-kook said the next day, “What we always expect from the central hitters is to play well in the situation of chances and scoring rights,” adding, “If we had scored the first run in the bottom of the second inning, Sanchez could have won as well.”
He then said, “It’s a shame that I missed two or three chances,” reflecting on the failure of the opportunity with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.
KIA cruised with seven wins and two losses in nine games in July before the All-Star break. The first half ended in sixth place, one game behind the fifth-ranked Lotte Giants, raising expectations for a semifinal battle in the second half.
The reason why KIA was able to perform well at the end of the first half was based on the batters’ “clutch instinct.” In the last nine games of the first half, KIA’s batting average was 0.330 (32 hits in 87 at-bats), one home run, 38 RBIs, and OPS 0.803. He had only one home run, but he showed off his formidable firepower compared to any other team.
In order for KIA to build a smooth multiplier in the second half, it eventually needs the power of batters. As the deps of newly joined foreign pitchers such as Panoni and Sanchez and native starting pitchers leading to Yang Hyun-jong and Lee Ui-ri are solid, they can aim for a leap forward if their offense is supported.
KIA hitters are also trying to boost their hitting sense that has cooled down during the All-Star break. After the match against Doosan on the 21st, not a few players made special hits.
Head coach Kim Jong-kook said, “Players with poor batting sense or players who did not play games remained after the end of the game. “We have increased the amount of training with batting coaches,” he explained.