With 3 key pitchers out, Lions trapped in deep hole

Doosan Bears pitcher Dustin Nippert applauds during game 2 of the South Korean baseball championship finals against the Samsung Lions at Daegu Stadium in Daegu, Tuesday. The Bears defeated Lions 6-1 to tie the best-of-7 series at one game a piece. / Yonhap

By Baek Byung-yeul

It was all predictable. With three key pitchers missing the playoffs for allegedly being involved in illegal gambling overseas, the Samsung Lions have had serious pitching problems during the first two games of the championship final series of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

Against the Doosan Bears at Daegu Baseball Stadium, the Lions split the first games of the Korean Series one apiece, defeating the Bears 9-8 in Monday’s game 1 and losing 6-1 in Game 2, Tuesday. Given that the Lions had, on average, allowed 2.96 runs per game while claiming the title for four consecutive years from 2011 to 2014, fans seem to be unfamiliar with all the runs they have seen scored against Samsung.

The absence of starter Yun Sung-hwan, set-up man An Ji-man and closer Lim Chang-yong left a big hole in the Lions’ pitching plans. In last year’s Korean Series, Yun and An displayed extraordinary performances, earning two wins each against the strong Nexen Heroes.

Also, the Lions had only allowed more than eight runs in 25 games during the 144-game regular season thanks to Yun, who had the most wins on the team with 17; An, who holds the most holds with 37; and Lim, who led the league in saves with 33. Their absence eventually led to a series of problems in the series as game 1 starter Alfredo Figaro left the mound throwing only three 1/3 innings with six runs, and Jang Won-sam gave up four runs while tossing six innings in Game 2.

To reinforce the weakened pitching rotation, Lions manager Ryu Joong-il said he will utilize left-hander Cha Woo-chan and sidearm reliever Shim Chang-min as “double stoppers” for late innings. Cha, who went 13-7 with a 4.79 ERA as a starter during the regular season, performed well in game 1, closing the contest while throwing 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Lions and Bears will play game 3 on Thursday at the Bears home, Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. The Lions will start right-hander Tyler Cloyd, while the Bears will start left-hander Jang Won-jun.

It remains to be seen whether Cloyd, who went 11-11 with a 5.19 ERA this season, can give the necessary support to his team as the ex-MLB starter was not in good shape in the last 10 games this season, going 3-6 with a 6.19 ERA. He had two games against the Bears and allowed six runs while throwing 12 innings.

Things are not much different for the Bears. Thanks to right-handed starter Dustin Nippert, who tossed seven shutout innings to extend his scoreless streak this postseason to 24 innings, the Bears defeated the Lions 6-1, evening the series at one apiece. But the Bears also have struggled with their weak bullpen in the series, and that is why Jang Won-jun, who went 12-12 with 4.08 ERA this season, will be counted up to throw more innings in game 3.