11G difference from LG is this difficult for the first time ever...It's the biggest crisis in autumn baseball

Aug 21, 2025

11G difference from LG is this difficult for the first time ever...It's the biggest crisis in autumn baseball
The game between SSG Landers and LG Twins at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 17th. The winning LG players are happy. Incheon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.17/



11G difference from LG is this difficult for the first time ever...It's the biggest crisis in autumn baseball
The KBO League KT Wiz and LG Twins match held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 12th. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, who won, is delighted. Suwon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.12/
The first history of KBO history, which seemed natural until the first half of the year, is on the verge of collapse. It is now difficult to guarantee that Hanwha-LG-Lotte-KIA will play together in the fall baseball league.

LG is doing so well even if it is good. He is leading the way with 22 wins and 5 losses in the second half of the year with a 0.815. Until the first half of the year, LG was in second place, 4.5 games behind Hanwha, but as of the 21st, it is in first place, four games ahead of Hanwha, which has been pushed to second place. In the second half alone, he beat Hanwha by 8.5 games, gaining an advantage in the lead competition.

The problem is the simultaneous fall of Hanwha, Lotte, and KIA.




Hanwha is in fourth place with 13 wins, 1 draw and 13 losses in the second half due to its recent four consecutive losses. If I hadn't piled up a lot of wins in the first half, I would have been in jeopardy. Hanwha, ranked second in the season, is eight games ahead of SSG, which has risen to third place, so it is not yet time to worry about the semifinals.

However, it is worrisome that the starting lineup, which was Hanwha's greatest strength, has not been able to use its strength recently. Irreplaceable ace Cody Ponce has yet to play due to severe enteritis symptoms, and Moon Dong-joo is out of power in the aftermath of being hit by a hit. If this happens, it doesn't seem easy to catch up with LG, which has already gained momentum.

Lotte's fall is the most serious. It is a big shock that has recently lost 10 consecutive games. He has been humiliated for 10 consecutive years for the first time in 22 years since 2003. Lotte Kim Tae-hyung also received strong support from fans when he spent the seventh place season last year, his first year in office, and this year, when fall baseball seemed natural, he received more attention for his leadership, but complaints are coming out for the first time in 10 consecutive losses. This means that the team is in the biggest crisis.




11G difference from LG is this difficult for the first time ever...It's the biggest crisis in autumn baseball
The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the Doosan Bears at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 20th. Hanwha players who lost are disappointed. Daejeon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.20/
11G difference from LG is this difficult for the first time ever...It's the biggest crisis in autumn baseball
A game between LG and Lotte at Jamsil Stadium on the 20th. LG won against Lotte. Lotte players leave the ground after the game. Jamsil = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.08.20/
Lotte, which was third in the first half, was only one game apart from second-place LG, but now it is even 11 games apart. Lotte fell to eighth place with only 11 wins, 1 draw and 16 losses in the second half of the year. Lotte would have thought of at least going straight to the semi-playoff, but due to its 10th consecutive loss, it lost third place to SSG and fell to fourth place. Now, the picture is being drawn of a five-way race from third to ninth place.

Ironically, the decline became clear from the time Lotte threw a postseason game. He boldly gave up 10-win pitcher Tucker Davidson and recruited Vince Velasquez, who boasts 38 major league wins, but has not been effective at all so far. Velazquez has lost two games, eight innings and a 9.00 ERA in two games.

Another painful factor is that Jeon Joon-woo, the core of the lineup and the leader of the team, left due to a hamstring injury. The team's batting average in the second half of the year was only 0.233, the lowest. With Jeon Joon-woo out, Yoon Dong-hee, Ko Seung-min, Son Ho-young, Hwang Sung-bin and Na Seung-yeop are not doing their part at all.




KIA ranks 10th with 9 wins, 1 draw and 14 losses in the second half. He is having a worse second half than Kiwoom, ranked 10th, 33 games behind LG, who is ranked first in the season. KIA, like Lotte, is 11 games apart from LG.

KIA has barely maintained a 50% winning rate with 54 wins, 4 draws and 54 losses in the season, and is tied for fifth with KT, showing a performance that is not strange at any time when it is pushed to the bottom.

Kia's biggest problem is its bullpen. He remains in ninth place with a 5.66 ERA in the second half of the year. The most painful thing is that closer Jung Hae-young (7.71) and setup man Jo Sang-woo (8.53) collapsed at the same time. Han Jae-seung (7.56) and Kim Si-hoon (5.06) of the bullpen, who had urgently transfused blood in a trade with NC, immediately ventilated the atmosphere, but the sense of stability is poor. It is not easy to hold out with Jeon Sang-hyun, Choi Ji-min, and Sung Young-tak.

Foreign batter Patrick Wisdom's hit of 'All or Do', which he did not replace after much consideration, is also a problem that frustrates KIA. Wisdom ranks first in the team with eight home runs and 16 RBIs in the second half, with a batting average of 0.204 (19 hits in 93 at-bats) and an on-base percentage of 0.235. It's a good thing that you hit a single shot every once in a while, but attacks are often cut off in Wisdom. Another regrettable factor is that Choi Hyung-woo and Oh Sun-woo's bats have cooled down from the first half.

11G difference from LG is this difficult for the first time ever...It's the biggest crisis in autumn baseball
At the KIA-Doosan match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 17th, players in the KIA dugout, who were upset in the bottom of the eighth inning, are watching the game with a mournful look. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.8.17/




This article was translated by Naver AI translator.