Players' absences too huge for Lions to win 5th championship
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The Doosan Bears players celebrate after winning the Korea Baseball Organizations’ Korea Series, Saturday. / Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
The Doosan Bears toppled the Samsung Lions from its dominance in the Korea Baseball Organization’s Korea Series, Saturday, after the Lions failed to overcome the absences of key pitchers, who are under suspicion of illegal gambling.
During the best-of-seven series, the Bears won a surprise victory, clinching four games straight after losing the opener. As the Bears pounded the Lions 13-2 in game five on Saturday, they claimed their first championship in 14 years and the fourth in their history.
Before the series began, the Lions suspended three pitchers from its pitching rotation, in the wake of an Oct. 15 report that the three are under investigation for illegal gambling overseas. Five days after the report, the club said “it would not send those who are under suspicion to the Korean Series” and ruled out starter Yun Sung-hwan, closer Lim Chang-yong and middle reliever An Ji-man from rotation in the series.
Though the club refused to elaborate on whether the three pitchers were involved in the gambling scandal, two of them are reportedly being investigated by the police.
The impact was huge. The Lions, who won their fourth straight championship title last year as well as their fifth straight pennant this season, suffered in organizing their pitching lineup and batters for the series, and helplessly watched their bid to extend their streak to a fifth championship fade away.
The presence of the trio during the season was hefty in the Lions’ performance. Through 1,275 1/3 innings that the Lions played this season, the three shouldered some 25.6 percent of it, with Yun pitching 194 innings, An with 78 1/3 innings and Lim with 54 innings. Yonhap News reported that the Lions’ pitchers recorded an earned run average (ERA) of 4.69 this season, the third lowest among 10 teams, but when the three pitchers were excluded from the series, the Lions’ ERA soared to 5.10, which is eighth place in the league.
Throughout the season, Yun played a key role in the Lions’ first place finish this season, notching up 17 wins -- third most in the league and the most for his team -- in his 30 appearances. His earned run average of 3.76 is also 8th in the league.
An, who led the league with 37 holds this season, had been the Lions’ most trustworthy setup player for years and veteran Lim, 39, also wound the clock back in his second season after his return from the Chicago Cubs, posting 33 saves to lead the league.
The formidable trio’s absence in the Korean Series also pressured the Lions’ batters. They were explosive throughout the season, but during the series, they suffered in scoring runs at decisive moments.
In the ninth inning of game 4, the Lions were following the Bears 3-4 and had the biggest chance to turn over the game as bases were fully loaded with one out. However, rather than narrow the gap, the Lions sought big hits to end the game, which seemed to be a pressured decision out of concern over the absence of a trustworthy closers.
However, the Lions’ Kim Sang-su hit a chopper to third which ended in the third base runner’s force out at the plate, and Koo Ja-wook subsequently grounded out to end the game.
This year’s Korean Series had drawn special interest over whether the Lions could accomplish the unprecedented feat of clinching both pennant and championship titles for the fifth consecutive season. Though the Bears displayed miraculous performances in the post season, climbing from the semi-playoffs to clinch the championship, due to the result to their hard work, the series will likely end up remembered as the series influenced by external factors. And for the Lions, who seemed to have nothing to achieve further, the winter will be a crucial time to get ready for next year.