Why am I doing better than I thought because I'm in second place after LG? Is it a reality of counterattack? Lotte is also close now

Aug 13, 2025

Why am I doing better than I thought because I'm in second place after LG? Is it a reality of counterattack? Lotte is also close now
Players who are happy after winning against Kiwoom in Incheon on the 12th. Photo =SSG Landers



Baseball is a pitcher's game. Or is it the prelude to the August counterattack that we've been preparing. SSG Landers' better-than-expected performance shakes the game in the second half.

Few officials saw SSG's chances of reaching the top five this season as high. There were so many outstanding teams, from last year's winning team KIA Tigers to LG Twins, Hanwha Eagles, and KT Wiz. It was unlikely that SSG, which had no clear reinforcement of its power except that it had a good composition of foreign players, could issue business cards within the top five of them. It's not that the officials' eyes were wrong, but there were fewer factors that stood out. It's a cold reality.

However, SSG is doing well beyond these expectations and predictions. SSG, which steadily endured a fierce mid-range battle within the fourth to sixth, suffered a major crisis at the end of the first half and at the beginning of the second half, losing six consecutive games.




It was the first crisis faced by the lack of physical strength of the main players and the occurrence of minor injuries. The team also fell to seventh place. The defense was shaken, including a bad hit throughout this season, and it was hard to get the balance right. It's certainly not an opponent that can't beat, but there were many games that lost without using any strength. There were many come-from-behind defeats and no come-from-behind wins.

Why am I doing better than I thought because I'm in second place after LG? Is it a reality of counterattack? Lotte is also close now
SSG won the match between SSG and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 10th, 10-1. SSG players sharing the joy of victory. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.10/
But I started to hold on again. In a tough fight, there was one victory that became a catalyst. The match against Hanwha in Daejeon on July 26. It is the same game in which Kim Kwang-hyun and Ryu Hyun-jin faced off as first professional starters. SSG players, who had been in seventh place, were very focused on this day. The bold determination to protect the pride of 'Captain' led to a stronger rally than ever, and a 9-3 victory.

Victory changed the atmosphere of SSG on this day. In the 14 games since that day, he has achieved a whopping 10 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses with a winning rate of 0.769. LG, which played 15 games during the same period, overwhelmed it with 12 wins and 3 losses, and SSG is second behind LG. Even if the scope is narrowed down to a monthly performance in August, it is 6 wins and 3 losses in 9 games. It is ranked second after LG. It is amazing that he is currently performing the second best after the first team, and also in the second half.




In the match against Kiwoom in Incheon on the 12th, Ha Jae-hoon's two-run home run and Drew Anderson's victory have led to his last three consecutive wins. Currently, Kia ranks fourth. It is still a two-game race with fifth-ranked Kia, but the gap with third-ranked Lotte Giants has narrowed significantly. Lotte, which is experiencing a crisis, is only two games behind SSG as it has lost four consecutive games.

Why am I doing better than I thought because I'm in second place after LG? Is it a reality of counterattack? Lotte is also close now
사진=SSG 랜더스
First of all, a solid mound plays a role. Mitch White and Kim Kwang-hyun are out due to small injuries, but it is not too obvious. Alternative starting luck also plays a big role, and the stability of the bullpen rarely breaks down to Noh Kyung-eun, Lee Yoon-woon and Kim Min, centering on closer Cho Byung-hyun, who has been reborn as the league's best this season.

On top of that, the batting lineup, which was the worst, is also waking up at a decisive moment. Ha Jae-hoon, who returned from the second division after recovering from injury, Cho Hyung-woo, who recently hit hard, Guillermo Herredia, who is completely different from the first half, Park Sung-han, who is becoming the vitality of the lineup, and Jihoon Choi. He showed good performance in turn, which is definitely different from last month.




Why am I doing better than I thought because I'm in second place after LG? Is it a reality of counterattack? Lotte is also close now
SSG won the match between SSG and Lotte at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 10th, 10-1. Manager Lee and his players share the joy of victory. Busan = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.08.10/
Coach Lee Sung-yong and the coaching staff have been thoroughly preparing for August since the beginning of this season. This is because I felt a lot while watching the main players' condition fall to the bottom in August, when the heat wave was at its peak last year. This year, not the August crash, we have been paying attention to and preparing for various areas to have the power to fight back.

Whether we can see the effect for sure now depends on the remaining 15 days. After August, each team will play the rest of the game schedule. In reality, it is difficult to rank first and second, but how far it narrows the gap with third-place Lotte is expected to be the core of the short-term ranking fight.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.