KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho is on the verge of becoming a liar unintentionally. Ahead of the match against the Lotte Giants in Gwangju on Wednesday, Lee expressed his opinion on the timing of the championship title during the regular season and the complete disappearance of the Korean Series’ direct magic number.안전놀이터
KIA had magic number 6 ahead of its game on Wednesday. Manager Lee Bum-ho said, “Not to mention the game between the Lotte Giants and the Kiwoom Heroes in Gwangju from Friday to Sunday, the game between the Suwon KT Wiz on Sunday, the Incheon SSG Landers on Sunday, and the Doosan Bears on Jamsil on Sunday will not be able to completely destroy the magic number.” He also predicted that the team will display celebratory shots in the final four consecutive home games that will start with the game against the Gwangju NC Dinos on Sunday.
He had his own reasons. First of all, the runner-up Samsung Lions is doing very well. KIA is also on a winning streak, but it turns out that Samsung also has a steady pace in the second half of the year. “It’s crazy. (KIA players) all say that,” Park Chan-ho said of Samsung. Manager Lee Bum-ho also admitted that Samsung is a hot and tricky team.
Moreover, Kia plans to meet with Ariel Furado and Enmanuel de Heysus in one-two punch against Kiwoom from May 15 to May 16. Coach Lee Bum-ho predicted at the game on May 16, “KT will release Wes Benjamin. As the opposing starting pitchers are not easy, it will not be easy to accumulate wins.
However, Kia has lost three of its magic numbers for three days since Lee Bum-ho’s remarks. For starters, the team defeated the Lotte Giants 10-0 on Tuesday. Though it struggled as expected to Hurado on Wednesday, it targeted Kiwoom closer Joo Seung-woo to secure a come-from-behind victory. On top of that, Samsung also enjoyed losing the match against the Incheon SSG Landers. It eliminated two magic numbers a day.
Consequently, contrary to Lee Bum-ho’s words, Kia is highly likely to make a congratulatory shot at the three consecutive games in the Seoul metropolitan area. Such is the case even if it moves to the Seoul metropolitan area while maintaining its magic number three as KIA was blocked by Heyesus at the game on Saturday and Samsung seized the SSG. While KIA will play the three consecutive games in the Seoul metropolitan area from Saturday to Sunday, Samsung will also play the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Sunday and the KT Wiz game in Suwon from Wednesday to Sunday.
Doosan and KT have yet to confirm their fifth place ranking. They are also poised to tap fourth and third, if necessary. It is not an easy schedule for Samsung either. Even if Kia reduces its magic number by one at the game on Tuesday, chances are even higher that it will display its congratulatory shots during the three consecutive games in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Along with Lee Bum-ho’s conservative expectations, Yang Hyeon-jong, a great pitcher, also said he would like to share the joy of winning the title with his home fans. In fact, it is better in more ways than one to achieve a great achievement in the three consecutive games in the Seoul metropolitan area. Two of the final four consecutive games at home are Samsung. If the two games against Samsung without confirming the championship title are twisted, it could lead to a worst-case scenario.
In addition, the time to prepare for the Korean Series will be much longer only when the team decides to go straight to the Korean Series as soon as possible. Of course, a long period of preparation for the Korean Series does not guarantee a victory. However, veterans need to manage their conditions, and the bullpen has suffered a lot since the season outs of Lee Eui-ri and Will Crow. If the team secures a win, it will be able to manage individual conditions easily.
Maybe Kia fans want Lee Bum-ho’s remarks to be a white lie. A manager should run a team conservatively. It was natural to say so.