Despite a shutout loss to the SSG Landers, the Kia Tigers still had plenty of reason to celebrate Tuesday. A loss by the second-place Samsung Lions meant the Tigers had clinched the KBO’s best regular season record and an automatic berth in the best-of-seven Korean Series.
The Tigers league-best 83-52-2 record should be no surprise given their dominant offense. Their 817 runs are 64 more than any other team, while their .302 team batting average, .370 on-base percentage, and .462 slugging percentage are all easily the best in the KBO.
At the heart of this attack is 20-year-old sensation Kim Do-yeong, who has broken out into a legitimate MVP contender. He is closing on a historic 40-40 campaign with 37 home runs and 39 stolen bases while is just two runs scored away from setting a new single-season mark. Kim seemingly has the potential to do something historic every single night, such as on July 23 when he became the first player in KBO history to hit for the natural cycle- single, double, triple, and home run- without being retired.
Kim is hardly the only star in the KBO lineup, as the Tigers have also gotten contributions from a player twice his age. 40-year-old Choi Hyung-woo has turned back the clock with his best season since 2020, blasting 21 home runs and driving in 108. Socrates Brito and Na Sung-bum have also turned in 20 home-run seasons, while former batting champion Kim Sun-bin is batting .327 while getting on base at a .378 clip.
Though their pitching staff isn’t as strong as their offense, they still lead the league with a 4.39-team ERA. As has been the case since 2007, the Tigers have relied heavily on 36-year-old Yang Hyeong-jong. The crafty lefty has pitched nearly double the innings of anyone else on the team, sporting a solid 11-4 record and a 4.06 ERA. Injuries have forced the Tigers to mix and match much of the rotation behind Yang, but the bullpen, led by Jung Hai-young and his 30 saves, has picked up the slack.
With a week remaining in the regular season and the top seed already locked up, the Tigers now have the luxury of resetting their rotation and getting healthy for postseason play. With their explosive offense and steady pitching, the Tigers will undoubtedly enter postseason play as the heavy favorites to win their 12th Korean Series title and first since 2017.
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WBN KBO: https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/
Photo Credit: KIA Tigers players celebrate after winning the KBO League game. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)
