Участник:"I'll finish today" vs "The end of the cliff" KT "I'm going to the end"
Will LG be able to win the Korean Series for the first time in 29 years by adding one win in the remaining three games. Will KT, which achieved a "reverse sweep" that won three games after two losses in the playoffs against NC, make a "magic" turnaround in the Korean Series (KS, four wins out of seven).
In the 2023 KBO League KS, LG swept Game 2-4 after losing Game 1, leading the series with 3 wins and 1 loss. Of the 17 teams with 3 wins and 1 loss in KS, 16 have lifted the trophy, with a whopping 94.1% probability. The only exception was that Doosan failed to win the title in 2013, losing three games to Samsung from Game 5. For KT, it wants to recreate the miracle of Samsung in 2013. KT coach Lee Kang-chul also lost Game 4-15, and said, "We also won three consecutive playoffs after two losses. I will not retreat as I am," he said, vowing to rebound.
It is true that LG is absolutely advantageous, but LG could also be in crisis if it fails to finish Game 5 at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 13th. Casey Kelly, the first starter, will play in Game 5, but the selection of Game 6 is blank. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop initially started Game 2 and dropped Choi Won-tae, who gave up four runs in 0.1 innings, in Game 6. However, Choi Won-tae gave up two walks and allowed one run in the ninth inning with a 15-3 lead in Game 4. After Game 4, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "(Choi) Won-tae took the mound to test whether he could play in Game 6, but concluded that he could not use it as a starter in Game 6. I think I should consider starting Game 6," he said.
On the other hand, KT has certain starting cards that lead to Ko Young-pyo in Game 5, William Cuevas in Game 6, and Wes Benjamin in Game 7. If "Native Ace" Ko Young-pyo, who pitched well with two runs (one earned run) in six innings in the first game, overcomes the match against Kelly in the fifth game, hopes for a come-from-behind victory will be revived.
LG also has something to believe in. The batting line started exploding from the second game. LG's batting average, which was ranked first in the two categories with a team batting average of 0.279 and a team OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 0.755 in the regular league, is exploding even more since KS. LG's KS team, which scored eight home runs and 28 points in games 2 to 4, has a batting average of 0.324 and a team OPS of 0.954. In particular, LG ranked sixth overall with 93 team home runs in the regular league, but it is encouraging that the ability to produce long balls has risen sharply with eight arches in KS. In addition, LG's seven out of nine main lineups are left-handed hitters. As sidearm Ko Young-pyo has a weakness in left-handed hitters by nature, he intends to end KS in Game 5 with the power of the batters.
If LG wins the KS title in Game 5 or even after that, it will also draw attention to whose arms the "Lolex Watch" will be held. Koo Bon-moo, the late former chairman of LG Group, who loved baseball, bought a Rolex watch worth 80 million won at that price in 1998, saying he would give it as a gift to the KS MVP. However, contrary to Koo's wishes, LG has never advanced to KS since the runner-up of KS in 2002, and the Rolex Watch has become a symbol of LG's long and long dark age. The Rolex watch left by former chairman Koo has been discontinued and is currently traded at a used market price of more than 160 million won, more than doubling the price.
Currently, captain Oh Ji-hwan is considered the player with the highest "Lolex Point." Oh Ji-hwan, who hit his first KS home run with a solo shot in the sixth inning, trailing 1-4 in Game 2, hit a picturesque three-run home run with two outs and runners on first and second bases in the ninth inning, trailing 5-7 in Game 3. In Game 4, Oh Ji-hwan also hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning with a 6-1 lead, becoming the first player to hit three consecutive home runs in a single KS. Park Dong-won, a "home mom" who hit a two-run home run in the 8th inning of Game 2 and a two-run home run in Game 3, is also considered a player who can win the KS MVP depending on whether he plays in the remaining series.