KBO's top 3 clubs on fire as 1st half winds down

▲ Choo Shin-soo (L) and Choi Ji-hoon of the SSG Landers are congratulated by teammates after scoring on Choi Jeong's double against the Samsung Lions during the top of the fifth inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 290 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on July 10, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ An Woo-jin of the Kiwoom Heroes pitches against the NC Dinos during the top of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on July 10, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ Casey Kelly of the LG Twins pitches against the Doosan Bears during a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on July 10, 2022, in this photo provided by the Twins. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ KT Wiz players celebrate their 6-3 victory over the Lotte Giants in a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on July 8, 2022. (Yonhap)

baseball-clubs

KBO's top 3 clubs on fire as 1st half winds down

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- The LG Twins have won seven straight games, and nine of their past 10, but they are somehow still in third place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), four games out of first place at 51-30-1 (wins-losses-ties).

That is because the two teams above the Twins happen to be just as hot. The Kiwoom Heroes (54-30-1) recently enjoyed a nine-game winning streak. After dropping two straight last week, they swept the NC Dinos in a three-game weekend series.

And the Heroes still trail the SSG Landers (55-26-3) by 2.5 games, with the Landers having won four in a row and nine out of their last 10.

"These guys (the Landers and the Heroes) just aren't losing," said Twins first baseman Chae Eun-seong, after driving in five runs in a 9-0 win Sunday. "But I think we're playing well, too. If we get too conscious of what other teams are doing, it's going to affect us. We just have to stick to what we've been doing."

With the All-Star break just around the corner, these three clubs have pulled away from the rest of the pack. The Twins enjoy a comfortable 8.5-game lead over fourth-place KT Wiz, which haven't been able to put much pressure on the top three despite winning eight out of their last 10 games.

We could see a new first-place team this week, as the Heroes visit the Landers for their final three-game set of the first half.

Other than the Landers' offense -- they lead the KBO in runs and batting average with runners in scoring position -- the biggest obstacle that the Heroes face this week in their pursuit of the top spot will be Mother Nature.

The three-game series goes from Tuesday to Thursday, and rain is forecast for the final two days in the Landers' home city of Incheon, just west of Seoul.

The starting pitching matchup should favor the Landers, with their one-two punch, Kim Kwang-hyun and Wilmer Font, both in line to make a start this week. Kim and Font are first and second in the league in ERA, with 1.65 and 2.02, respectively.

The Heroes' hard-throwing right-hander An Woo-jin, tied for first with 125 strikeouts, pitched Sunday and won't be available against the Landers this week.

Rain may cool off the Twins, too. They're scheduled to host the Kia Tigers for three games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, which is also expected to receive some showers Wednesday and Thursday.

The Tigers have righted the ship somewhat by sweeping the Hanwha Eagles over the weekend, creeping back over .500 in winning percentage and moving within a game of the Wiz for fourth place.

The KBO's have-nots are mostly mired in losing skids, none worse than the nine-game slide for the Samsung Lions.

The Lions have dropped to eighth place and will run into an ascendant Wiz team for a road series to close out the first half.

The Bears are licking their wounds after getting swept by their Jamsil co-tenants Twins for the first time in five years. They will try to snap their three-game losing streak when they visit the NC Dinos. The Dinos themselves have dropped four in a row, and something has to give this week.

The Lotte Giants are 5.5 games behind the Tigers for the fifth and final postseason spot, and they will close out the first half by hosting the last-place Hanwha Eagles.

The KBO will hold its first All-Star Game in three years Saturday at Jamsil, with some pre-game festivities, including the home run derby, set for Friday. The regular season will resume on July 22.

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