Another wild morning in the KBO with less than inspiring performances on the mound across the slate and another late comeback win by the team off to the hottest start in the league:
NC 12-6 ?? (20.5.21, ?????)
— NC ???? (@NCdinos_fan) May 21, 2020
???: ???
????: ???(9? 1? ??? ??? 2??)#ncdinos #NCvs?? #STRONGER_TOGETHER pic.twitter.com/bCWaYw3BcM
Representing your translator, the Dinos posted nine runs in the top of the ninth entering the inning down by one run. A pinch runner scored the then tying run and later homered in the inning adding to the fray. NC moved to 12-2 on the season and leads the KBO by three games over the LG Twins. There’s also more than one way to win late in games. It’s been noted in the telecasts on ESPN, the infields in Korea appear to play faster and this bounce helped Kiwoom to a walk-off win in the 10th inning:
Well there’s one way to get a walk-off win.
— Connor Newcomb (@ConnorNewcomb_) May 21, 2020
Park Jeong-eum hits it to shortstop, ball takes a horrendous hop on Wyverns SS Kim Sung-hyun, and the Heroes win it 9-8.#KBO #KiwoomHeroes #SKWyverns @MyKBO pic.twitter.com/fQly439M2y
Before delving into the game action, some injury news of note:
#KBO injury update: SK Wyverns' RHP Nick Kingham (elbow) is expected to miss at least 2 more turns in the rotation, his manager Youm Kyoung-youb said. The manager wants to give Kingham as much time as necessary, so he'll come back and stay healthy the rest of the season.
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) May 21, 2020
Potentially good news on Nick Kingham , it remains to be seen how soon he returns to the SK rotation, but they need him back as soon as possible. Also:
Injuries are piling up in #KBO. Both Jae-il Oh (rib) and Jae-hwan Kim (foot) are out of the line-up for #DoosanBears. Both are not considered serious, but number of injuries are definitely alarming.
— Daniel Kim ??? ? (@DanielKimW) May 21, 2020
These injuries seem like day-to-day situations but using Oh in DFS could be dicey since rib injuries linger, especially if intercostal. Now it’s time to take a whirl around the KBO from Thursday’s five game set.
Starting Pitcher Spotlight
Kia’s Ki-young Im lasted eight innings using only 90 pitches allowing five hits, one earned run and striking out four leading the slate. Im moved to 1-2 on the season but lowered his ERA from 5.63 to 3.38 after this outing. Entering the contest, Im owned a 2.95 FIP which he migrated towards with this strong outing.
Joining the rotation, at least for Thursday, LG Twins pitcher Min-ho Lee notched his first win of 2020 working 5.1 shutout innings giving up one hit and four walks with two strikeouts. While his strikeout to walk ratio will not jump off the page, his win at a low price made him a worthy flier on Thursday.
Tough luck loser Tae-in Won of Samsung threw seven innings yielding six hits, two earned runs and two walks with six strikeouts. His team provided two hits of support in a shutout loss at home.
Hitter Highlights
NC Dinos
It seemed like a tough loss on the road loomed for the Dinos until a nine run outburst in the ninth propelled them to their 12th win in 14 games. Keep tabs on lead-off hitter Min-woo Park who left the game favoring his leg. It may not be serious, but he could need a day or two off this weekend. Here’s the top performances in the comeback win:
Min-woo Park (2B) - Went 3-for-6 with a run raising his average to .397 and slid into fifth in the KBO in the category.
Sung-bum Na (OF) - Finished with two hits and an RBI in six at-bats along with a run scored.
Jin-hyuk No (3B) - Tallied two hits in four at-bats with two runs, a double, two RBI and a walk.
Aaron Altherr (OF) - Fell to eighth in the lineup and Altherr responded with a 3-for-4 game with a double, his third home run of the season, three RBI plus a walk.
Doosan Bears
Jose Miguel Fernandez (DH) - Bounced back with a three-hit game to retake the KBO lead in batting average (.458) and hits (27).
Kiwoom Heroes
Keon-chang Seo (2B) - Extended his hit streak to 10 games and multi-hit streak to three with a 2-for-5 performance with a run and a double.
Ha-seong Kim (3B) - Continues to heat up with two hits in four at-bats, three runs, two doubles, a walk and stole his second base of 2020.
Jung-hoo Lee (OF) - One of the best swings in the KBO, Lee went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
Dong-won Park (C) - Becoming a terrific target at catcher, Park racked up three hits in five at-bats with a run, a double and three RBI.
SK Wyverns
Jun-hyeok Oh (DH) - Finished 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI.
Dong-min Han (OF) - Launched his league lead tying sixth home run and also doubled in five at-bats for the reeling Wyverns who fell to 2-12 as a result of the walk-off loss to Kiwoom.
Hanwha Eagles
Eun-won Jung (2B) - Went 2-for-4 with a run, two RBI and walked.
Jae-hoon Choi (C) - Tallied three hits in four at-bats with two RBI.
Si-hwan Noh (SS) - Hit his first home run of the season going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Yong-kyu Lee (OF) - Racked up two hits in three at-bats, scored two runs, walked and stole two bases (2,3).
KT Wiz
Woo-jun Sim (SS) - Stole his fifth base while going 2-for-5 with a run.
Yong-ho Jo (OF) - Finished 2-for-3 with a run, double, an RBI and two walks.
Mel Rojas Jr. (OF) - A perfect 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI, a walk and reached via hit-by-pitch appearing on base in all four plate appearances. He sits one hit behind Fernandez for the KBO lead.
Byung-hee Kim (2B) - Went 2-for-4 with his first home run in his first game for the Wiz this season.
LG Twins
Eun-sung Chae (OF) - Belted his second home run of 2020 driving in two.
Roberto Ramos (1B) - No extra-base hits but Ramos went 2-for-4 raising his average to .404 on the year.
Kia Tigers
Chan-ho Park (SS) - Moved his hit streak to six games with a 2-for-5 day driving in two runs.
Dae-in Hwang (1B) - Recorded a multiple hit game going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
Once games end on Thursday, teams hit the buses and travel for their next three-game series. Here’s this weekend's match-ups:
Hanwha (6-9) heads to first place NC (12-2)
Kia (8-7) visits the struggling SK Wyverns (2-12)
The KT Wiz (6-8) faces the LG Twins (9-5)
Doosan (8-6) brings it’s struggling staff and big bats to Samsung (5-10), the most hitter friendly park in the KBO
Kiwoom (9-6) arrives in Lotte (7-7) with the Giants in the midst of a four game losing streak hoping their home park provides a spark
With sports ramping up and potentially more restarting on the horizon (NBA and NHL), be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm to remain ahead of the competition.
Statistical Credits
myKBOstats.com
Eng.koreabaseball.co