By Cho Mu-hyun
The wait is finally over. The baseball season is here.
With exhibition games over and their player rosters completed, the eight clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) are prepared for what may be their biggest season in the domestic league’s 31-year history.
The managers and the top players had their say in the launch party Wednesday, and not surprisingly, they are setting their sights on the playoffs and the title. A rough outline of each team was revealed in the preseason. But all of them seemed to have a card up their sleeves, and vowed to impress eager fans waiting for the weekend openers.
So which side will clinch the domestic title this year, and possibly win the Asian Series opening in Korea for the first time?
“Without a doubt Samsung (Lions),” said OBS sports commentator Gu Kyung-baek. “In the history of Korean baseball, a reigning side has dominated almost unchallenged in each decade. It was Haitai Tigers (now Kia Tigers), then Hyundai Unicorns (now dissolved) and recently the SK Wyverns. Now it’s Samsung’s turn.”
Like their Japanese league counterpart Yomiuri Giants, the Lions share their birth with the country’s baseball league itself and have one of the longest standing tradition out of the eight clubs. Every celebrity in baseball had their stints with the Daegu-based club in one way or another. Current Kia Tigers manager Sun Dong-yeol led them for six years and SK Wyverns manager Lee Man-soo made his name as a catcher there, just to name a few.
They were not always the strong team they are now, however. They were always runners-up behind Haitai in the 1980s, and had their fair share of ups and downs in the last two decades.
But the current reigning champions of the nation and the region seem poised to keep their throne for this season.
“They have (pitchers) Jong Hyun-wook and Kwon Hyuk; not to mention Oh Seung-hwan and Lee Seung-yeop. Their pitching and batting line-ups are unmatched in the league. They will reign for the time being,” said Gu.
He believes that the Lions will end the regular season as the top-seed. Though managers of the other clubs predict the Tigers are the only challenge for Ryu Jung-il’s side, Gu adds the Doosan Bears, the Lotte Giants and SK Wyverns.
“Every club has a weakness in their pitching line-up” said KBS Sports commentator Lee Yong-chul in the Lions’ defense. “But Samsung has seven pitchers in their starting rotation. They have solid relievers and closers, and they even have a reserve squad for support. They have no weakness.”
One thing noted about Samsung’s offense last year was the inexperience of their batters. While many of their sluggers showed talent, they lacked a mentor to point them in the right direction. Lee Yong-chul believes that the signing of Lee Seung-yeop solved that problem.
“With Lee Seung-yeop to guide the young batters, they now have a center that holds the batting squad together. They will learn from Lee and ultimately strengthen the club’s batting-lineup,” the commentator said.
The addition of Lee, he said, will likely form a synergy effect to boost the offense further from a healthy rivalry between the new signee and franchise slugger Choi Hyoung-woo.
But the commentator added that when it comes to sports, unpredictability is the name of the game. He predicted that SK Wyverns and Kia Tigers will pose a strong threat to the reigning Lions’ road to their second consecutive title.
The domestic baseball community is largely in agreement that Samsung standout more than any team. But all agree that the other seven clubs, despite some weaknesses, have found the right balance of offense and defense.
Whatever the prediction, no side will back down easily. Let the games begin.