The KBO will begin the second half of its schedule on April 21 after the All-Star break. This year, the mid-tier teams will change their pitchers to foreigners to shake up the game.
This season, the KBO is in the midst of a ‘best-of-seven’ situation. LG Twins and SSG Landers are battling for the top spot, Doosan Bears, NC Dinos, Lotte Giants, KIA Tigers, KT Wiz, Hanwha Eagles, Kiwoom Heroes, and Samsung Lions finished the first half in last place.
What stands out is the seven teams clustered in the middle of the pack. The gap is really tight. It’s so close that it’s been said that the standings change when you wake up. From 3rd place Doosan, which ended the first half with nine straight wins, to 9th place Kiwoom, the gap is 7. Among them, 4th-ranked NC and 9th-ranked Kiwoom are separated by 4.5 games.
Of the seven teams in the top seven, all but NC have opted to use foreign pitchers. What is unusual is the return of “veterans” with KBO experience. Doosan and KT have brought back foreign pitchers who were once part of their teams.
Lotte, Hanwha, and Kiwoom, on the other hand, opted for new faces. KIA, the only one of the 10 clubs to replace two foreign pitchers, used a mix of veterans and new faces. It will be interesting to see how this choice will play out, as the league is heavily weighted toward foreign pitchers.스포츠토토
Doosan has once again teamed up with Brandon Waddell, 29, who joined the team in the middle of last year as a replacement foreign pitcher. Waddell performed well last year with a 5-3 record in 11 games and a 3.60 ERA in 65 innings, but he failed to re-sign with Doosan. He has since rejoined the team as an alternate foreign pitcher, continuing his association with Korean baseball.
The start was perfect. In four games, he’s 2-1 with a 1.04 ERA in 26 innings pitched. The team ended the season on a nine-game winning streak in the first half of the season, with Brandon picking up two wins during that span to keep the momentum going.
If Brandon continues to pitch well, Doosan could form a formidable one-two punch of foreigners alongside Raul Alcantara, 31, the team’s first choice. With his early momentum, there is a lot to look forward to.
KIA has many similarities to Doosan. They brought back Thomas Pannoni, 29, who joined the team in the middle of last season and posted a decent record of 14-3, 4-2 with a 2.72 ERA in 82⅔ innings pitched. The reason he didn’t stick with the team despite his decent performance was his lack of destructive power as a one-two punch. However, the team had to make a decision due to the poor performance of the newly acquired foreign pitchers. In the end, they brought Pannoni to bolster the starting staff.
Pannoni made his first start on April 12 against the Gwangju Samsung Lions, giving up two runs in four innings. Prior to joining KIA, he pitched in the Major League Baseball (Milwaukee Brewers), so he reportedly has no issues with his physical condition or delivery. It is highly anticipated that he will continue to perform well in the second half of the season.
KT reunited with William Cuevas, 33, who led the team to its first integrated championship in the 2021 season. Cuevas played two games in the KBO last year before being forced to leave the team due to an elbow injury.
The team had been disappointed with their foreign pitchers who hadn’t been consistent in the early part of the season, and they were hungry for a solid foreign starter. In the end, KT opted to make a change and brought in a healthy Cuevas, who has already proven his worth to the team.
Cuevas pitched consistently and healthily for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A team, starting with the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Since joining the team, he has gone 5-2 with a 4.13 ERA in 28⅓ innings pitched and has three quality starts (six innings or fewer) and is returning to his winning ways.
Some clubs have also signed new foreign pitchers. Clockwise, Wilkerson (Lotte)-Sanchez (KIA)-Sanchez (Hanwha)-McKinney (Kiwoom). Lotte, KIA, Hanwha, Kiwoom
Lotte Giants pitcher Aaron Wilkerson’s time in Milwaukee.
Some teams chose to bring in new players instead of familiar ones.
First, Lotte signed Aaron Wilkerson (34). Wilkerson is a right-handed pitcher who stands at 188 centimeters and weighs 104 kilograms and has excellent fastball movement and changeup control.
Lotte has been struggling with the loss of its ace, Dan Streeley (35). The foreign pitchers have not been able to do their job, and the team’s performance, which was first in the league at the end of April, has plummeted to fifth place, the minimum to qualify for the postseason.
Even Charlie Barnes (28), who is supposed to stay with the team until the end of the season, is not performing well. The team needs Wilkerson’s strong pitching to improve the team’s situation.
KIA Tigers pitcher Mario Sanchez. ⓒKIA Tigers
KIA acquired Mario Sanchez, 29, who led the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in wins and ERA at the time of his signing. Sanchez made an immediate impact in his debut. He pitched 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball with 10 strikeouts, and his unique pitching style and delivery caught the attention of many fans.
Sanchez is the only “bright spot” in the team’s starting rotation. KIA’s starting pitchers are all left-handers, including Yang Hyun-jong, Panoni, Lee Lee, and Yoon Young-chul. The right-handed pitcher’s performance is crucial for the diversity of the starting lineup.
Since his debut, Sanchez has proven his worth as a starter with his innings and command of his pitches, as well as his composure in the face of appeals from the opposing bench. KIA will challenge for the postseason with the new foreign one-two punch of Sanchez-Panoni.
Hanwha Eagles pitcher Ricardo Sanchez. ⓒHanwha Eagles
Hanwha has shed the stigma of being last place in the Korean Baseball Organization, and foreign pitcher Ricardo Sanchez, 26, is at the center of it. Sanchez joined the team in the middle of the season as a substitute. Since then, he’s become the team’s win fairy. In fact, out of the 10 games Sanchez has pitched, the team has won eight. Excluding one draw (against Kiwoom on June 16), the winning percentage is around 89% (8/9).
Sanchez has had some help from his batting lineup, but more often than not, he’s been able to create his own wins. In 10 games, he went 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 51⅔ innings. In addition to Sanchez, the team has a solid one-two punch in Felix Peña (33), who is still showing flashes of brilliance. If Sanchez, who has been in the KBO for a while, continues to show his skills, Hanwha can envision a higher finish in the second half of the season.
Ian McKinney, pitcher of the Kiwoom Heroes. ⓒKyung Hye-mi Reporter
Kiwoom’s choice was a bit of a surprise. When foreign pitcher Eric Yokishi (34), who had accompanied them for five years, was diagnosed with a partial tear of the adductor muscle in his left thigh and was sidelined for six weeks, they immediately pulled out their replacement card. His replacement was Ian McKinney, 29, who had been coaching pitchers in the independent leagues.
McKinney has now started four games and is 1-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 20 innings pitched. He remains to be seen, but he has caught the eye with two quality starts against top teams like SSG and Doosan.
It won’t be easy to erase the color of Yokishi, who has been the centerpiece of Kiwoom’s starting rotation for the past five seasons, but McKinney needs to be up to the task to help the team rebound.
Day 21, the start of the second half. It will be interesting to see how the veterans and new faces will energize the team, and how it will affect the race for the top spot.