At the beginning of April, Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop (47) smiled awkwardly at the news that the team had been confirmed to go to Pohang in early July. This was because of the special relationship between myself and Pohang Baseball Stadium.체스카지노
Coach Lee, who was active as a Samsung Lions legend as a player, naturally played a lot at Pohang Baseball Stadium, Samsung’s second stadium. In the first game in Pohang in 2012 (against Hanwha on August 14), coach Lee, who played as the third batter and first baseman, got off to a good start with 2 hits and 2 walks in 2 at-bats.
Even after that, coach Lee swung a hard hit in Pohang. Having played 39 games in Pohang until the end of his career in 2017, he achieved a career batting average of 0.362, 15 homers, and an OPS of 1.167. He is by far the first in his home run count, and among them was the first KBO career 400 home run against Lotte on June 3, 2015. Indeed, Pohang was the promised land.
Director Lee, who said, “I heard the news (that the Pohang schedule was set) as a knight,” said, “It’s not the time to think about that. I have to think about winning today, but it’s still too far away.” It can be seen as meaning that you will focus on the current situation rather than the beautiful memories of the past.
Now, the fateful 3rd consecutive match in which coach Lee returns to Pohang after 6 years is approaching. Doosan will play three consecutive matches against Samsung at Pohang Baseball Stadium from the 4th. As of the pre-match basis, Doosan played 72 games, just half of the 144 pennant races, with a record of 35 wins, 35 losses and 1 draw (0.493 win rate), with only one win short of the 50% win rate. If you get 2 wins and 1 loss or more in this series, you can achieve a 50% win rate.
The recent mood isn’t bad. Doosan, who gave up all 3 matches against SSG Landers at the end of June, ended the away series with Kiwoom Heroes with 2 wins and 1 loss, and recently also finished 3 consecutive matches with Lotte Giants in Ulsan with a winning series. The team’s batting average in the last 10 games is 0.229, but the team’s average ERA is 2.42. In the starting lineup, immovable ace Raul Alcantara and recently returned Brandon Waddell, and in the bullpen, Park Chi-guk, Kim Myung-shin, and Jeong Cheol-won are fighting back.
Doosan Kim Myeong-shin threw multiple innings in the last two games in a row. /Photo = Courtesy of Doosan Bears
Samsung’s situation against this is not good. Samsung, which has experienced two five-game losing streak and one four-game losing streak since June, has fallen to the bottom after losing against Daegu Kiwoom on the 22nd of last month. In the last 10 games, they have been sluggish with 2 wins and 8 losses, and they are still unable to find a clue for a rebound.
However, Samsung also showed a strong aspect in Pohang as much as Lee coach. Since opening in 2012, Samsung has been recording a career win rate of 0.690 (40 wins, 18 losses, 1 draw) in Pohang. 2019 (2 wins, 4 losses) is the only time Samsung recorded a win rate of 50% or less in Pohang, as well as during the ‘Samsung Dynasty’ (2011-2014). Even last year, when the Pohang game was held for the first time since Corona 19, the series ended with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss.