After being booed for finishing fifth last year and entering fall baseball for the first time in two years, the Bears are back in the hunt for their first top-three finish with the support of their fans.
The Doosan Bears will play a fateful three-game series against the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul from the 20th to the 22nd.
With 137 games played between the two teams, Doosan is in fourth place with 69 wins, two draws, and 66 losses on the season, while LG is in third place with 71 wins, two draws, and 64 losses. With only two games separating them, LG has a slight edge in the season head-to-head record with 7 wins and 6 losses.
Both teams have been on a roll lately. Doosan’s victory over the Jamsil KIA Tigers the previous day marked its fourth straight win in 104 days, the first since June 7 against the Jamsil KIA, while LG completed a three-game series against the Sajik Lotte Giants with a 2-1 sweep. With both Doosan and LG on the rise, the so-called “battle for the fateful third place” is on.
LG still has the advantage.
As long as they don’t lose three games in a row, they can stay in third place. A series sweep would secure third place, while two wins and a loss would extend their lead over Doosan to three games, while a win and a loss would keep them within one game. Both LG and Doosan need at least two wins to get close to where they want to be.
Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop revealed his full rotation for the three-game series against LG the day before, saying, “Kwak-bin, Kim Min-kyu, and Jordan Balajovic will start in order from the 20th.” The one-two punch of Kwak-Bin Kwak, Doosan’s 13-win ace, 메이저사이트 and foreign pitcher Balazovic is joined by Kim Min-kyu, who has plenty of experience as a reliever. Kim’s ERA in the Futures League has been quite stable at 1.51.
“From now on, the focus and importance of winning every game is different from regular regular season games. We will focus on today rather than thinking about tomorrow, and we will play with a strong mindset of winning every day,” Lee said.
Doosan suffered a stinging blow to its pride last year in Lee’s first year at the helm, losing 5-11 to LG.
This year, however, the rivalry has been evenly matched throughout the season, with Doosan holding a slim 6-7 lead.
“I know LG also has Hernandez, Son Ju-young, and Enns,” Lee said, ”and we’re playing better against them than last year, and they said it’s going to rain tomorrow (Feb. 20), which will lower the temperature, so the players will play better. Everyone is motivated, from the veterans to the younger players,” he said.
The veterans on the team are also rallying the troops ahead of the battle for third place. Kim Jae-ho (39), who met on the 19th, said, “I think this three-game series will be the most important. “It’s a three-game series that will decide whether we move up or down,” said Kim Jae-ho (39). ”Both teams can only do their best. I just hope the players don’t put any pressure on themselves and take it easy like it’s not the end of the season.”
Doosan was booed last year after finishing fifth and returning to the postseason for the first time in two years. It will be interesting to see if they can turn the boos into applause by earning a direct ticket to the semi-playoffs this year. Doosan needs a win more than ever in this weekend’s rivalry game.