New Season, Old Plot
Wyverns Once Again Look Like Team to Beat
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Running through one-third of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) schedule, it feels as if we are living in a miniature version of ``Groundhog Day.''
The defending champion SK Wyverns have built a comfortable lead in first place on the strength of their pitching staff, while the Korean Series runner-up Doosan Bears are in second, thanks to what is arguably the league's most impressive collection of young talent.
Veteran skipper Kim In-sik is once again coaxing the Hanwha Eagles to play better than their reputation suggests. The only change in the top four comes from the resurgent Lotte Giants, although the Samsung Lions, just a half-game back, may have something to say about it in weeks to come.
So is the league destined for basically the same season as the last, when the first-place Wyverns edged the second-place Bears for the title in a postseason devoid of surprises? Or can anybody beat the Wyverns this time around?
Should their current pace be a true indication of their ability, the title would certainly be the Wyverns' to lose. With an impressive 28-13 start placing the team 4 1/2 games ahead of the Bears, Wyverns manager Kim Sung-kun already has his mind on the Korean Series.
``Finishing in first place in the regular season and earning a direct Korean Series berth would be critical for our chances for a title repeat," said Kim, who believes pitching depth would be the most decisive factor in determining the title due to an enlarged postseason.
Kim, Chey Dominant
Under the KBO rules, four of the league's eight teams earn spots in the postseason. However, the playoff series between the fourth- and third-place teams has expanded to a best-of-five series this year after being a best-of-three series until last season.
The winner challenges the second-place team in a best-of-seven series, which also expanded from a best-of-five series last year.
Throughout this long and dreadful sorting process, the first-place team enjoys the luxury of nursing its injured players and resting its pitching staff while preparing for the best-of-seven Korean Series.
For a team like the Wyverns, built to live and die on the quality of their pitching, the difference between finishing first and second looms even larger.
No doubt Kim takes comfort in having the league's best starting rotation at his expense. Second-year starter Kim Kwang-hyun (6-2) is leading the league in wins, strikeouts (52) and ERA (2.05), and his ridiculous talent ― blessed with a 150 kmph-plus fastball and a big, 12-to-6 curve ― suggests that the lefty will finish the season as one of the league's top pitchers.
Kwang-hyun and Chey Byung-yong, who is 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA, are sure to be a lethal combination in a short series.
Bottom of Rotation, Hitting Are Concerns
Now, if only manager Kim can get more out of Kenny Rayborn, penciled as a No. 1 starter ahead of the season but still stuck at 1-0. The 34-year-old American, who won 17 games last year, lasted just 15 innings in his last three starts and gave up 14 runs in the process.
Kim is confident that Rayborn will eventually figure things out as the season progresses, although he would rather have the time come quickly.
The team has already packed off Darwin Cubillan, after he started 1-2 with a 12.86 ERA and is looking for another pitcher in the minor leagues to replace him.
The Wyverns have also acquired underachieving lefty Jun Byung-doo from the Kia Tigers to bolster their pitching staff.
``We need a decent foreign player to compete and remain at first place, but I am afraid the process could get longer," said Kim.
``It's hard to find a good player now. Maybe in the coming months, we can find some quality players who have dropped out from the competition to join the big league.''
Kim has reason for concern since the Wyverns' offense simply isn't good enough to carry the team when the pitchers struggle.
Choi Jung is leading the league with a .352 batting average but provides little to none in extra-base power as a singles hitter.
Outfielder Park Jae-hong is producing reasonably well with six home runs and 22 RBIs, and Lee Jin-young is hitting .283 with 20 RBIs. However, the injury to first baseman Lee Ho-joon, who led the team with 71 RBIs last season, clearly stings.