Seoul: Having spent most of the year so far near the bottom of the standings, the Doosan Bears appear to be a long shot to make the postseason in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). However, as interim manager Cho Sung-hwan tells it, team captain and veteran catcher Yang Eui-ji hasn't given up hopes, and he wants his teammates to keep their faith, too. And in Cho's mind, Yang's leadership has fueled the Bears' summer surge, which has seen them post the KBO's second-best record in July at 7-4-0 (wins-losses-ties).

According to Yonhap News Agency, "As our captain, Yang Eui-ji has been telling the team that he thinks we can still do this," Cho told reporters in his pregame media scrum Tuesday, before facing the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "I believe the power of his words has impacted our play and it is showing on the field."

Even with their current three-game winning streak, the Bears are still in ninth place in the 10-team league at 38-49-3. They are six games out of the fifth and final postseason spot with 54 games remaining -- a gap likely insurmountable this late in the season.

"Even I don't really think we can just start pushing for a top-five spot right away," Cho admitted. "But since we haven't been winning that much this year, I think the players recognize how precious each victory really is. Our veterans have been leading the way and younger guys have been following quite well."

The Bears will face a stern test this week against the Eagles, the owner of the league's best record at 55-33-2 and of the longest active winning streak at nine.

"I've looked into some of their numbers, and it's easy to see why they are in first place," Cho said. "But we shouldn't worry too much about how the other team plays. We just have to play our game and perform the way we're capable of. We're going to go out there and battle them."