INCHEON– The Kiwoom Heroes went on a valiant run for the Korean Series title before coming up short against the SSG Landers Tuesday night in a 4-3 loss in Game 6. But the Heroes’ season might as well have ended Monday.
In Game 5 that evening at Incheon SSG Landers Field, just west of Seoul, the Heroes took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, three outs away from taking a 3-2 series lead. But three batters later, the Landers walked off with a 5-4 victory, thanks to a pinch-hit, three-run jack off the bat of Kim Kang-min.
The Heroes’ lead disappeared on the vapor trails of the towering home run, the first pinch-hit, walkoff shot in Korean Series history, and so did their hopes of winning the franchise’s first Korean Series crown.
It just seemed too difficult, bordering on impossible, to bounce back from such a crushing defeat in 24 hours. The Heroes still put up a good fight in Game 6 Tuesday, but blew a 2-0 and then a 3-2 lead.
The Heroes were playing in their third Korean Series. They also finished in second place in 2014 and 2019.
They were No. 3 seed this year, and had to knock off the KT Wiz and then the LG Twins in two earlier rounds of the postseason, totaling nine games, just to reach the Korean Series. The Landers, meanwhile, were sitting pretty, after earning a bye to the Korean Series by virtue of having the best regular season record. They had three weeks off between the conclusion of the regular season and the start of the Korean Series.
Playing so many high-stress games in such a short window took its toll on the Heroes, as youthful as their roster was. Their offense dried up in particular. They homered just once through the first five games, and the two dingers on Tuesday were too little, too late. Lee Jung-hoo and Yasiel Puig, their two best hitters, combined for six doubles but had only four RBIs together, an illustration of problems that hitters in front of them had getting on base.
The bullpen horses that manager Hong Won-ki rode throughout the postseason also hit a wall in the Korean Series.
Closer Kim Jae-woong had thrown 6 1/3 shutout innings in his first five postseason games, while recording four saves. But in the Korean Series, Kim allowed seven runs on nine hits in just 4 2/3 innings He served up a game-tying solo shot to Kim Kang-min in the bottom ninth of Game 1, an inauspicious sign of things to come for the left-hander.
Starter-turned-reliever Choi Won-tae had pitched to a 1.59 ERA in his first five postseason games. But then he got knocked around for four runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings, the biggest damage coming via the backbreaking three-run shot to Kim Kang-min in the bottom ninth of Game 5.
After Tuesday’s loss, Heroes manager Hong Won-ki thanked his players for battling until the end.
“I am out of adjectives to describe my players. I’d like to pay them my biggest tribute for the job well done the whole year,” Hong said. “This is a really tight bunch. The guys complement each other and always support each other. That’s why we were able to come this far.”
The contention window should stay open for the Heroes at least for another year, before star outfielder Lee Jung-hoo becomes eligible for posting for major league clubs.
The two-time reigning batting champion is the odds-on favorite for the regular season MVP award this year after leading the KBO in five major offensive categories. At 24, Lee may not even have reached his prime yet, and he is a generational talent who can drag this youthful team back to the postseason in 2023.
His sidekick, former National League All-Star Yasiel Puig, may return for a second season in South Korea if he can’t find a path back to the majors.
After Tuesday’s loss, Lee was seen consoling Puig, who was crying on the bench.
“It broke my heart to see Puig cry, but I felt I had to keep my emotions in check in front of some younger guys,” Lee said. “We did the best we could and we have to live with the results. We came up two wins short, and we will try to make up that gap, starting in spring training.”
On the mound, the Heroes boast a dominant starter in An Woo-jin, the regular season ERA champion and strikeout king. The 23-year-old pitched through blister issues all postseason but still had a 2.08 ERA in the Korean Series, with 10 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings, after holding opponents to four runs over 18 innings with 22 Ks in the two previous rounds.
From Oct. 16 to Tuesday, the Heroes played 15 postseason games, tied for the second-highest total in one year. For many players on that team, these were the best 24 days of their baseball lives.
It just wasn’t enough for the championship.
Source: Yonhap News Agency