Nippert, Jimenez key players to teams' victories
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Dustin Nippert of the Doosan Bears celebrates after striking out Park Jae-sang of the SK Wyverns during the Korea Baseball Organization League game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
It has been a month since the 10 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League teams began their 35th season on April 1, and as usual, imported players have been dominating the baseball league.
Nippert props up the Bears
For the Doosan Bears fans, the presence of their starting pitcher Dustin Nippert is as big as a god. In keeping with his nickname “Ninunim” ― a compound word of his first name and “hananim” (the Lord in Korean), the 34-year-old, who has been playing for the Bears for six seasons, has been perfectly propping up the Seoul-based team, garnering six wins in six games.
As the right hander is off to a great start, the defending champion Bears have led the league with 18 wins, one tie and six losses. At the Gwangju Kia Champions Field, the towering pitcher started the Sunday game against the ninth placed Kia Tigers and helped his team win 4-1 as he only allowed one run while throwing six 2/3 innings.
Nippert is now gunning for a new record ― accomplishing 10 wins in the fewest number of games. In KBO history, former Samsung Lions Korean Japanese pitcher Hisao Niura (also known as Kim Il-young) in 1985 and former Hanwha Eagles pitcher Chung Min-chul in 1993 reach 10 wins in 12 games. And former Lotte Giants pitcher Son Min-han and the Kia Tigers lefty Yang Hyeon-jong reach the 10 mark in 13 games in 2005 and 2010.
Given that Nippert still throws 150-kilometer-plus fastballs and has led the league with the most strikeouts with 46, followed by the Lions’ Allen Webster and the NC Dinos’ Eric Hacker with 38, it seems likely for him to add four more wins in the upcoming five games.
The Bears fans must be proud of their newly imported pitcher Michael Bowden as well.
Armed with a dive-bombing splitter the 29-year-old American has won four games, allowing only four runs while throwing 32 innings in five games. He has led the league in ERAs with 1.13, becoming the only pitcher recording a sub-2.00 ERA in the league.
Jimenez leads KBO in home runs
While Nippert has displayed gusty performances on the mound, the LG Twins third baseman Luis Jimenez has led the league in home runs with nine, followed by four hitters who have hit six long balls including last season’s MVP Eric Thames of the Dinos and the Lions’ Choi Hyoung-woo.
The Twins have the poorest offense in the league with a team batting average of .258, exactly .3 below the first place Giants with .288. Also, the Seoul-based team that shares their home with the Bears, has the third worst team ERA with 4.90, and this makes it difficult to explain why they are currently ranked fourth with 12 wins and 11 losses, going against expectations before the season that the team would be in the cellar.
The answer probably depends largely on their home run production. The Twins have led the league in home runs hitting 27 homers in 23 games and at the center of the team’s long ball hitters, there is Jimenez who hit nine.
The 28-year-old Dominican replaced Jack Hannahan in the middle of the 2015 season, and showed potential for the next season, recording a .312 batting average and hitting 11 home runs in 279 at bats. Exceeding his expectations, the former major leaguer gives life to the Twins.