Who will take third place? Competition for rankings is fierce with SSG Landers, NC Dinos, and Doosan Bears tied for third place with only 2-3 games left. Now every game is a final.
SSG, NC, and Doosan had mixed feelings in the KBO League match held on the 14th.
SSG lost 3-5 in the game against Samsung held in Daegu on the 14th. In the 5th inning, when the team was down 0-1, with 2 outs and runners on second base, Hanyuseom's 1-RBI triple and Heredia's timely hit turned the score around to 2-1. And in the 6th inning, he had a chance to reach 2nd and 3rd base with no outs, and added 1 point with a sacrifice fly. The failure to run further was a failure.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, with one out and runners on 1st and 2nd base, SSG allowed an RBI 1 timely hit from Kang Min-ho and an RBI 1 timely hit from Ryu Ji-hyuk to tie the score at 3-3. Due to the center fielder's throwing error, they were in danger with one out and runners on second and third base, and Pirella's sacrifice fly by the center fielder allowed a 3-4 comeback.
In the 8th inning, with 2 outs and runners on second base, Choo Shin-soo's well-hit ball along the first base line was sucked into first baseman Lee Seong-gyu's diving catch and failed to tie the game. In the 9th inning, trailing 3-5, with one out and runners on first and second base, Heredia's batted ball was caught right in front of the right-center fence, and Park Seong-han's homerun-like ball slightly missed the right pole and became a foul. In the end, we lost 3-5. He became a victim of Oh Seung-hwan's KBO League record of 400 saves.
3-2 after a tight match against LG in the Jamsil rivalry game held at Jamsil Stadium on the 14th. When Doosan struggled to score, LG tied the score with a home run. The results were mixed in the 9th inning.
Doosan made it to first and second base with no outs in the second inning with consecutive hits by Yang Eui-ji and Yang Seok-hwan, and later scored the first run with Kang Seung-ho's infield hit by shortstop with two outs and third base. Shortstop Oh Ji-hwan caught the batted ball with a diving catch and threw it to first base, and Kang Seung-ho was saved with a headfirst sliding fighting spirit.
LG tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning when Austin hit a solo home run (23rd of the season) over the left wall.
In the 7th inning, Doosan's leadoff hitter Kim Jae-hwan hit a strike ball along the first base line, which hit first baseman Austin's mitt and went out into the outfield. Due to a catching error by the first baseman, Kim Jae-hwan advanced to second base. A sacrifice bunt put the runner on third base with one out, and Jae-ho Kim attempted a squeeze bunt to bring the runner home on third base.
With one out in the bottom of the 8th inning, LG tied the score at 2-2 when Jaewon Lee hit a solo home run (4th of the season) over the left field wall against Cheolwon Jeong.
After Doosan had one out in the 9th inning, Yang Seok-hwan reached base with a walk, and pinch runner Yu-chan Lee succeeded in stealing second base. Kang Seung-ho's batted ball with 2 outs and 3rd base on third base broke the bat, passed the second baseman's height, and landed in front of right field, putting the lead back at 3-2.
Doosan was replaced in the bottom of the 9th inning when Kang-Ryul Kim created a crisis with no outs on first and second base, and Myung-Shin Kim eliminated the Austin-Oh Ji-Hwan-Moon Bo-Kyung batting lineup with outfield fly balls to preserve the 1-run victory. Kim Myung-shin recorded his first save in his professional debut.
NC had a rest day with no games today. Due to the results of the game on the 14th, SSG has 74 wins, 3 draws, and 65 losses in 142 games (winning rate of .532). NC has 74 wins, 2 draws, and 65 losses in 141 games (winning rate .532), and Doosan has 74 wins, 2 draws, and 65 losses in 141 games (winning rate .532).
All three teams have the same winning percentage of .532. SSG has played one more game, but has one more draw, so the wins and losses of the three teams are the same.
SSG has only two games left against Doosan. Doosan will play a fateful two-game series against LG on the 15th and against SSG on the 16th and 17th. NC will have two consecutive games against Samsung on the 15th and KIA on the 16th and 17th.
The SSG-Doosan match is expected to be a watershed in the battle for third place. If a team loses consecutively, they will fall to 5th place. NC has Daejinwoon facing Samsung and KIA, who have lost motivation due to being eliminated in the semifinals. However, just as Samsung caught SSG on the 14th, it may be held back by lower-ranked teams.
According to the KBO League regulations, “If the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in the regular season are two or more than three clubs, the rankings are determined in the order of overall wins in games between the clubs, overall scores in games between the clubs, and previous year’s performance. “It is clearly stated.
Doosan and NC's final season results may have the same winning percentage. In this case, Doosan and NC have the same relative record of 8 wins and 8 losses, so NC, which is ahead in scoring, will be ranked higher than Doosan. Doosan needs to win one more game than NC to advance in the rankings. It is the most disadvantageous.
SSG has 3 draws, so it is unlikely that it will tie with Doosan and NC, which have 2 draws. However, since there are only two games left, there is no way for them to finish in third place.
Third place advances to the semi-playoffs. The first round of the semi-playoffs will be held on the 22nd. You can rest for 4 days after the final game of the regular season on the 17th. On the other hand, 4th and 5th place will have to play the first game of the wild card match on the 19th. We will take a day off on the 18th and begin the postseason.
4th and 5th places are bound to be under a lot of pressure. Moreover, 5th place must win both games in the wild card match to advance to the semi-playoffs. If you end up in 5th place with a difference of 0.5 games or a difference in winning percentage, you will be at a huge disadvantage.