SEOUL-- The competition for the final postseason spot in South Korean professional baseball is heating up, with playoff hopefuls emerging from the dog days of summer prepared for the stretch drive.
Through the weekend's action, the Kia Tigers are holding down the fifth and final playoff berth in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 56-56-1 (wins-losses-ties). They are four games ahead of the Lotte Giants and have three games in hand.
The Tigers will look to increase their lead this week as they get set to face the KBO's two worst clubs.
They will visit last-place Hanwha Eagles for two games starting Tuesday. The Tigers are 10-2 against the Eagles this year, feasting on the downtrodden team the way most other clubs have.
The Samsung Lions will be up next for Thursday and Friday. The Lions are far out of contention, sitting in ninth place at 47-65-2, but they have played the Tigers tough, with a 7-4 head-to-head record so far in 2022.
The Tigers will host the KT Wiz for two games to close out the week in the southwestern city of Gwangju. The Wiz have gone 7-4-1 against the Tigers this year and they have their own positioning battle to worry about.
The Wiz have soared to third place, thanks to a 19-11 mark since the All-Star break, the second-best winning percentage in that period. But the Kiwoom Heroes, for all their August woes, are still just half a game behind the Wiz.
Before playing the Tigers, the Wiz will take on the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins. The Wiz have a winning record against both of them.
The Heroes have the Giants, the Eagles and the league-leading SSG Landers on slate this week. The Landers have been a thorn on the Heroes' side all year, with a 10-3 head-to-head record.
The NC Dinos, despite coming off a 2-4 week, remain a team to watch. Though they are 5.5 games out of fifth, the Dinos also have more games remaining than anyone in the league now with 34. Their week features games against the Twins, the Landers and the Eagles.
Elsewhere in the KBO, time may be running out for the Bears to make up ground and sneak into the postseason. They begin the week in eighth place at 47-62-2, 7.5 games behind the Tigers with 33 games left. They only won one out of six games last week, and their streak of playing in a record seven consecutive Korean Series is essentially over.
The lone bright spot for the Lions in their dismal season has been the performance of Jose Pirela. The second-year outfielder leads the KBO in batting average (.347), runs (83), hits (152), on-base percentage (.421) and slugging percentage (.568).
Starting in September, all Saturday games will begin at 5 p.m. and all Sunday games will start at 2 p.m.
Source: Yonhap News Agency