After winning their first Korean Series title in 29 years last year, the LG Twins’ goal for 2024 is to build a dynasty. The best way to do that is to win back-to-back Korean Series titles.
No team has won back-to-back Korean Series titles since the Doosan Bears in 2015 and 2016. The Kia Tigers (2017), SK Wyverns (2018), Doosan (2019), NC Dinos (2020), KT Wiz (2021), and SSG Landers (2022) all aimed for back-to-back titles the year after their championships, but only Doosan made it back-to-back years. The reality is that it’s not easy to win back-to-back titles, let alone make it to the Korean Series.
LG had little left of last year’s championship. The results of closer Go Woo-seok, who is trying to enter the major leagues with a post, will be released on the morning of the 4th, and if he is unable to sign a contract with a major league team, it will be a good news for LG to win two consecutive titles.
They already have their foreign players lined up. They quickly re-signed championship members Casey Kelly and Austin Dean, and brought in left-handed pitcher Dietrick Enns, who won 10 games in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, to round out the roster.
The roster was nearly identical to the championship team.
Hanwha starter Sanchez pitches in the first inning of Game 1 of the DH between KT and Hanwha at Hanwha Eagles Park in Daejeon on Sunday. However, LG’s second straight loss likely won’t be on “solid footing. Last year’s Korean Series runners-up, the KT Wiz, return 12-game winner William Cuevas and Wes Benjamin, who finished second in wins with 15, this season, and re-sign 2020 MVP Mel Rojas Jr. to complete a “strong” lineup of foreign players. Closer Kim Jae-yoon moved to the Samsung Lions, but that shouldn’t be a problem as Park Young-hyun, who won the Hold King just two years after his debut, is already considered a ready-made closer.
The Kia Tigers, who have a good batting lineup, are also a favorite to win the title. With Kim Do-young’s rapid rise to prominence, the team is said to be organized and ready to compete for the title as long as their foreign pitchers pitch well.
The biggest challenge for LG will be left-handed pitching, especially since each team is required to sign one foreign pitcher this season. Of the 17 foreign pitchers currently under contract, nine are left-handed, accounting for nearly half. KT’s Benjamin, SSG’s Roenis Elias, Doosan’s Brandon Waddell, Lotte’s Charlie Barnes, and Hanwha’s Ricardo Sanchez have all re-signed. There are also four new left-handed pitchers, including LG’s Enns, NC’s Kyle Hart and Daniel Castano, and Kiwoom’s Enmanuel De Jesus.
LG will face eight of these left-handed pitchers throughout the season.
Since LG’s main hitters are mostly left-handed, it’s likely that opposing teams will also use a lot of left-handed pitchers against LG.
However, LG is not weak against left-handed pitching. Last year, they led the league with a 2-for-7 mark against left-handed pitching. Against left-handed pitchers, they were third behind KIA (.296) and NC (.285).
Against right-handed pitchers, they went 2-for-7 (1st), and against underhanded pitchers, they went 2-for-8 (4th).
Still, there are plenty of left-handed pitchers who have done well against LG. 온라인카지노 KT’s Benjamin is a prime example. In five appearances against LG, Benjamin went 4-0 with a 0.84 ERA. SSG’s re-signed Roenis Elias also appeared in three games against LG, going 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA, and Hanwha’s Ricardo Sanchez went 1-1 with a 1.59 ERA in three games.
Of course, there have been left-handed pitchers who have struggled against LG, such as Doosan’s Brandon Waddell (2-1, 6.55 ERA) and Lotte’s Charlie Barnes (3-3, 7.64 ERA in four games).
LG has faced a lot of left-handed pitchers in the past, so there’s not much psychological pressure on them. However, a weak record against a particular pitcher, such as Benjamin, could shake the “left-handed” title.
There are more left-handed foreign pitchers than last year. If LG wants to build a “dynasty” by winning the Korean Series for the second consecutive time, they will have to overcome these “lefties.