ID :
211447
Thu, 10/06/2011 - 05:41
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Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/211447
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Playoffs for S. Korean professional baseball to kick off this weekend
SEOUL (Yonhap) - The postseason for South Korea's top professional baseball league will kick off this weekend, with the regular season scheduled to wrap up later Thursday, the league office said.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will close out the 2011 regular season after each of the eight clubs have played 133 games apiece. The top four teams advance to the playoffs in the KBO, and the first round will start this Saturday.
With one game left each for the teams, playoff-bound clubs have already been determined. The Samsung Lions clinched the top seed in late September and have earned a bye to the championship Korean Series. The Lotte Giants took second place and have advanced to the second round.
The SK Wyverns and the Kia Tigers, who end in third and fourth place, will meet in the best-of-five opening round starting Saturday. The Wyverns have the home field advantage and will open the series at Munhak Stadium in Incheon, west of Seoul.
The winning team of that series will go on to face the Giants in the best-of-five second round. The Korean Series, which is slated to begin on Oct. 24, will be best-of-seven.
The Lions, who were swept by the Wyverns in last year's Korean Series, are seeking their first championship since 2006. This was the first season for manager Ryu Joong-il, who became only the second KBO manager to win the regular season crown in his debut year.
The Lions, based in Daegu, are led by two strong candidates for the most valuable player (MVP) honors. Entering Thursday night's games, outfielder Choi Hyung-woo leads the KBO with 30 home runs, 116 runs batted in (RBI) and a slugging percentage of .613. Choi has increased his home runs and RBI totals in each of his first four seasons.
Closer Oh Seung-hwan has been dominant with 47 saves and an earned run average (ERA) of 0.63 over 57 innings. His saves total is tied with the KBO's single-season record that he set in 2006.
The Giants, who ranked seventh in May, have won 42 of 64 games since July. The Busan-based club, which has topped the league in attendance over the past four seasons, boasts the KBO's highest-scoring offense, led by reigning MVP Lee Dae-ho.
The Wyverns, based in Incheon, won three of the past four titles, but this year, they have been battling injuries to key players, including No. 1 starter Kim Kwang-hyun and all three regular outfielders. Kim Sung-keun, who had been the manager since 2007, was abruptly fired in August amid contract disputes with the front office.
The Tigers, which play out of Gwangju, were in first place at the All-Star break in July, but they too have dealt with injures to regulars.
Kia's strength is its starting pitching. Right-hander Yoon Seok-min won the pitching triple crown as the league leader in wins (17), ERA (2.45) and strikeouts (178). He is backed by former Major League Baseball starter Seo Jae-weong and Aquilino Lopez, a Dominican Republic native now in his third season with the Tigers.
Through Wednesday, the KBO has drawn a record 6.76 million fans, surpassing last year's total of 5.92 million. It broke the all-time single-season mark for the third straight year.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will close out the 2011 regular season after each of the eight clubs have played 133 games apiece. The top four teams advance to the playoffs in the KBO, and the first round will start this Saturday.
With one game left each for the teams, playoff-bound clubs have already been determined. The Samsung Lions clinched the top seed in late September and have earned a bye to the championship Korean Series. The Lotte Giants took second place and have advanced to the second round.
The SK Wyverns and the Kia Tigers, who end in third and fourth place, will meet in the best-of-five opening round starting Saturday. The Wyverns have the home field advantage and will open the series at Munhak Stadium in Incheon, west of Seoul.
The winning team of that series will go on to face the Giants in the best-of-five second round. The Korean Series, which is slated to begin on Oct. 24, will be best-of-seven.
The Lions, who were swept by the Wyverns in last year's Korean Series, are seeking their first championship since 2006. This was the first season for manager Ryu Joong-il, who became only the second KBO manager to win the regular season crown in his debut year.
The Lions, based in Daegu, are led by two strong candidates for the most valuable player (MVP) honors. Entering Thursday night's games, outfielder Choi Hyung-woo leads the KBO with 30 home runs, 116 runs batted in (RBI) and a slugging percentage of .613. Choi has increased his home runs and RBI totals in each of his first four seasons.
Closer Oh Seung-hwan has been dominant with 47 saves and an earned run average (ERA) of 0.63 over 57 innings. His saves total is tied with the KBO's single-season record that he set in 2006.
The Giants, who ranked seventh in May, have won 42 of 64 games since July. The Busan-based club, which has topped the league in attendance over the past four seasons, boasts the KBO's highest-scoring offense, led by reigning MVP Lee Dae-ho.
The Wyverns, based in Incheon, won three of the past four titles, but this year, they have been battling injuries to key players, including No. 1 starter Kim Kwang-hyun and all three regular outfielders. Kim Sung-keun, who had been the manager since 2007, was abruptly fired in August amid contract disputes with the front office.
The Tigers, which play out of Gwangju, were in first place at the All-Star break in July, but they too have dealt with injures to regulars.
Kia's strength is its starting pitching. Right-hander Yoon Seok-min won the pitching triple crown as the league leader in wins (17), ERA (2.45) and strikeouts (178). He is backed by former Major League Baseball starter Seo Jae-weong and Aquilino Lopez, a Dominican Republic native now in his third season with the Tigers.
Through Wednesday, the KBO has drawn a record 6.76 million fans, surpassing last year's total of 5.92 million. It broke the all-time single-season mark for the third straight year.
