More high leverage hijinks ensued on Wednesday with late lead changes and two walk-off wins for the two teams now tied for first player in the KBO:

Both the NC Dinos and Lotte Giants came back in the late innings for dramatic wins. Here’s how the Lotte contest ended:

With emotions running high, the Giants celebrated in grand fashion with a win over the defending KBO champion Doosan Bears:

On the other end of the spectrum, another manager could be on the hot seat due to a slow start:

Falling to 1-6 on the season, the SK Wyverns need to turn things around but watching their game on ESPN2 reveals a lack of defense or focus at times on the field. As for the rest of the KBO, things can change quickly leading me to see if researching bullpens could provide insight on teams to target for DFS purposes. Especially when reading this tweet:

It seems like relievers nibble upon entering games instead of relying on their stuff and this observation encapsulates it. Now for the rest of the game action from Wednesday in the KBO.

Starting Pitcher Spotlight

Taking the award for best outing on Wednesday, import David Buchanon shined en route to his first win tossing seven shutout innings allowing two hits and striking out eight for Samsung versus Kiwoom:

In a loss, Won-tae Choi of Kiwoom recorded a quality start working 7.1 innings giving up four hits, four runs (two earned), and striking out six.

A bounce back outing for William Cuevas throwing six innings yielding four hits, one earned run and two walks with four strikeouts in a no-decision for the KT Wiz.

During a blowout win, Chan-gyu Lim held the SK Wyverns to one earned run on five hits while striking out seven for his first win of the season.

Not quite as sharp as his debut, Mike Wright worked six innings giving up five hits, one earned run and two walks with four strikeouts. He started the top of the seventh in the midst of a shutout but allowed hits to the first two batters he faced before being lifted for a reliever. After a sacrifice bunt and ground out, Mel Rojas Jr. scored tying the game, taking Wright out of the decision.

Hitter Highlights

LG Twins

In a rout, LG exploded for 14 runs on 12 hits moving to 4-3 on the season. A balanced attack kept the pressure on a shaky SK Wyverns defense with constant traffic on the bases.

  • Hyun-Soo Kim (OF) - Went 3-for-5 with two runs, a double and two RBI. 
  • Eun-sung Chae (OF) - Finished 2-for-4 scoring two runs, drove in three and walked. 
  • Roberto Ramos (1B) - Tallied two more hits in four at-bats including a double with an RBI and walked. 
  • Young-taik Park (DH) - Crafty veteran Park knocked in three runs, doubled in three at-bats and walked. 

Lotte Giants

Winning via walk-off, the Giants plated ten runs on 12 hits moving into a tie for first with a 6-1 record so far in the KBO.

  • Jun-woo Jeon (OF) - Scored three runs with two hits in five at-bats and a double. 
  • Ah-seop Son (OF) - A perfect day at the plate for Son going 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and three walks. 
  • Dae-Ho Lee (DH) - Lee scored two runs, racked up two hits in four at-bats, doubled, drove in two runs and walked. 
  • Dixon Machado (SS) - Moved up one spot in the lineup to sixth, Machado went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and walked twice. 

Doosan Bears

In a tough loss on the road, two players stood out for Doosan. First, Jae-il Oh:

Joining Oh, Jae-hwan Kim scored three runs, drove in two, walked and recorded two hits including tying for the KBO league in home runs:

NC Dinos

Walking a high wire so far in 2020, the Dinos won their sixth game with another walk-off victory. Now tied for first with Lotte, here are the highlights from their win on Wednesday:

Na went 2-for-5 with his third home run and an RBI. Teammate Hae-dong Kwon went 2-for-2 with his first home run, an RBI and walked. Also of note, Aaron Altherr left the game early. He has been dealing with a sore wrist so his status will need to be monitored.

Samsung Lions

Although the Lions won, Tyler Saladino left the game after being hit by a pitch. He is off to a slow start hitting a paltry .174/.240/.348 through his first 25 plate appearances. Even worse, his replacement, Sung-gyu Lee went 2-for-4 with a double, his first home run and an RBI. Former Cub Hak-Ju Lee went 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI, and stole his first base in only his second game of the season.

KT Wiz

  • Min-hyeok Kim (OF) - Both hits went for extra-base (a triple and his first home run) leading to two RBI. 
  • Han-joon Yoo (DH) - Launched his first home run, a solo shot in another loss for the Wiz. Guess in the KBO, everyone beats the Wiz? 

Kia Tigers

  • Hyung-woo Choi (DH) - Recorded a multiple hit game going 2-for-4 scoring two runs, doubled and walked. 
  • Ji-wan Na (OF) - Also racked up two hits in four at-bats with a run, double and an RBI. 

Kiwoom Heroes

More frustrating than suffering only its second loss this year, Kiwoom’s import hitter Taylor Motter turned in another hitless performance going 0-for-3 with a strikeout before being lifted from the game. So far, Motter’s hitting .111 (3-for-27) with seven strikeouts, one walk, and one extra-base hit so far in the KBO. That is less than optimal and you should keep tabs on how the Heroes use him going forward.

On tap for Thursday, imports Chris Flexen (Doosan) and Tyler Wilson (LG Twins) take the mound for their respective teams. Pitchers duels could be on tap when the NC Dinos take on the KT Wiz and when Samsung faces Kiwoom. Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm to remain ahead of the competition across all fantasy formats.

Statistical Credits:

myKBOstats.com
Fangraphs.com