The 2024 KBO League fanfare will ring at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The team will start its 144 games of play, starting with the opening matches in Jamsil (Hanwha-LG), Incheon (Lotte-SSG), Changwon (Doosan-NC), Suwon (Samsung-KT), and Gwangju (Kium-KIA). 토토사이트넷
Jamsil is definitely the place where baseball fans are paying attention. This is because Ryu Hyun-jin's return match will be held for the first time in 12 years.
When Ryu was active in the KBO league before moving to the U.S., he was an enemy of LG. He performed well against LG in 35 games from 2006 to 2012, with 22 wins and eight losses and an ERA of 2.36.
Therefore, LG, the defending champion, has no choice but to be on high alert. He also feels pressured. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "We need to take out two wins."
However, captain Oh Ji-hwan had a different idea.
Oh Ji-hwan, who smiled slightly, said, "It could be controversial…" and then said, "I'm not very nervous. I acknowledge that the Hanwha team itself has become strong, and I'm grateful that Hyunjin is here, but I think we'll win the opening game."
It was because of confidence in the squad and manager Yeom Kyung-yeop.
Last year, LG had a team batting average of 0.279, 93 homers, 714 RBIs, 767 runs scored, 166 steals, and an on-base percentage of 0.361 OPS of 0.755. Except for the team's home run (ranking sixth in the league), LG showed overwhelming performance to the extent that it ranks first in most batting indicators in the league.
The mound was not stable. Ace starter Casey Kelly was shaken up early in the season, and the Korean starting lineup suffered from injuries and sluggishness repeatedly. As a result, the team only posted an earned run average of 3.92 (ranking fifth in the league). However, LG had strong batters and a solid bullpen. The team garnered a whopping two wins, boasting quality and quantity. It ranked first with a 3.43 ERA in the bullpen last year. Thanks to such performance, the team garnered a whopping 42 come-from-behind wins.
"Watching what our team did last year, I was convinced," Oh said. "Coach Yeom has a really good game plan to solve the game. He uses various methods such as bullpen fights, bunting, stealing bases, and maneuvering after starting the game. That's why I'm less worried."
"If we get seven scoreless innings by Hyunjin, we will win in the 8th and 9th innings," he said. "We just need to do what we can. I've been excited for 15 years when I play the opening game, but this time I'm not nervous and confident."
Wasn't he relaxed enough to win the title last year? Oh shook his head firmly.
"I already erased the victory from my mind. I'm just saying it based on our coach's inclination and our players' ability to play games," Oh said. "Our team came from behind to win 42 times last year. In fact, this is a figure that does not make sense. That's how we didn't play a normal game, but winning despite that means we did anything in it. I mean I believe in that. I acknowledge that the Hanwha Eagles has strengthened since Hyun-jin's return, but we will secure the victory."