Start of the Second Half of Professional Baseball with a Hot 4-Game Series... The Challenge of the 'Men of Records' Continues

[Financial News] The KBO League will start the second half from the 17th after the All-Star break.
This year's All-Star break has been extended from the usual 4 days to 6 days, and the second half will unusually open with a 4-game series. From the 17th to the 20th, 4 games will be played with the same matchups as the opening 2-game series.
The 4-game series is a burden for both clubs and players, unlike the usual 3-game series schedule. Teams with a thin starting lineup are at a disadvantage. If the starter collapses from the beginning, the bullpen is heavily used, and it becomes difficult to manage the mound as the series progresses. Facing the same opponent for four consecutive days also leads to quick pattern exposure.



In Major League Baseball in the United States, 4-game series are common. They flexibly utilize the roster and add long relievers to the bullpen to prepare. They also change the batting order and bullpen operation sequence to minimize pattern exposure. In the KBO, during this 4-game series, the standard for a 'winning series' is raised to at least 3 wins.
The competition for rankings is as fierce as in the first half. The gap from the 2nd place LG Twins to the 5th place kt wiz is 3 games, and the gap between the 5th place kt and the 8th place Samsung Lions is only 2.5 games. The team that gains the upper hand in the 4-game series is likely to take the lead in the second half. Especially, there is a lot of interest in whether the championship team Hanwha will win the regular league and whether the Lotte Giants will maintain their 3rd place. KIA's counterattack, with the return of players like Lee Eui-ri, Na Sung-bum, and Choi Hyung-woo, who have formed a nearly complete lineup, is also noteworthy.


The record competition is also an interesting point of view in the second half. Cody Ponce of the Hanwha Eagles is challenging for the most consecutive wins as a starter at the start of the season and the most strikeouts in a single season. Ponce, who recorded 11 wins and no losses with an ERA of 1.95 in 18 games in the first half, became the fifth player in history to record 11 or more consecutive wins from the first appearance of the season. Previously, Jung Min-tae in 2003 and Hector Noesi in 2017 set the highest record with 14 consecutive wins, followed by Seth Frankoff in 2018 (13 consecutive wins) and William Cuevas in 2023 (12 consecutive wins). If Ponce adds 4 more wins in the second half, he will make new history.
The strikeout record is also promising. Ponce recorded 161 strikeouts in the first half, averaging 8.9 per game. If he maintains a similar pace in the second half, he is likely to surpass the 225 strikeouts set by Ariel Miranda in 2021.


Victor Reyes of the Lotte Giants is aiming for 200 hits for two consecutive years. He recorded 122 hits in 89 games in the first half, averaging 1.37 hits per game. If he maintains this pace, he will reach 197 hits for the season, but given his precedent of increasing hits per game in the second half last year, achieving 200 hits is quite possible. Last year, he set the KBO single-season record for most hits with 202.


Lewin Diaz of the Samsung Lions is challenging to become the first foreign player to hit 50 home runs in a single season. Diaz, who hit 29 home runs in 88 games in the first half, will reach the 50-home run mark if he hits 21 more home runs in the remaining 56 games. The most home runs in a season by a foreign player in the KBO is 48 by Yamaico Navarro in 2015. All 50 home runs have been recorded by domestic sluggers. Lee Seung-yuop achieved it in 1999 (54) and 2003 (56), Shim Jung-soo in 2003 (53), and Park Byung-ho in 2014 and 2015 (52 and 53). If Diaz hits 50 home runs, he will be the first 50-home run hitter in 10 years since Park Byung-ho.





jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter