Park Chan-Ho and Kim Byung-Hyun, ``Together To Playoffs``

This fall, we will witness another record as a Korean baseball player will appear on the post-season stage in the Major League Baseball the first time (MLB).

The full-time big leaguers, Park Chan-Ho and Kim Byung-Hyun are currently playing in the LA Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks respectively this year. Coincidentally, both teams belong to the National League West, and are runner up the leader in the division. As of 26th, the Arizona ranked in the first place and the LA Dodgers is chasing from the second place.

While the game differential between two teams is only 1.5 games, the San Francisco Giants ranked in the third place is 5 games behind the second-placed LA Dodgers. Therefore, the domestic fans of Park and Kim are expecting at least one of two teams to advance to the playoffs.

And the wild card system eases the fans. The wild card is the system in which the team with the highest winning percentage among the other teams in the division leaders can advance the post-season. Since the LA Dodgers is leading the wild card competition over the Philadelphia Philies by 1.5 games, both Park and Kim may participate in the `festival of fall`.

Since 1990, the Dodgers has advanced to the division series twice, once in 1995 and 1996, and the Diamondbacks appeared in the division series in 1999. Park and Kim had played in the ML, but they did not have the chance to take the mound. Nomo Hideo, who joined the LA Dodgers in 1995, took a mound in the third game in 1995 and 1996 respectively, but he became the last loser of the team which lost three games in a row both times.

If the LA Dodgers or the Arizona Diamondbacks moves up to the World Series, the first match between Korean and Japanese players will be possible.

The Seattle Mariners is leading the American League West with the ML`s best winning percentage (0.713) of this season, thanks to two Japanese players, the lead-off hitter Suzuki Ichiro and the closer Sasaki Kazuhiro. The Boston Red Sox, who has been haunted by the `Bambono`s Curse` since the World Series victory in 1918, placed second following the New York Yankees. But since the team is running up the leader in the wild card competition with the winning percentage of 0.570, it will be likely to advance the post-season if there are no unexpected incidents. Recording 10 wins and 4 losses, Nomo, Chan-Ho`s former teammate, is leading the starting line-up with the team`s ace Pedro Martinez, putting aside the existed reputation that `Nomo`s prime time had passed away`.

zangpabo@donga.com