Doosan on the Brink, SK at Ease

The SK Wyverns were on fire yesterday.

SK beat the Doosan Bears, 4-0 thanks to veterans Kim Jae-hyun and Lee Ho-jun in Game 5 of the Korean Series game on October 27. The Wyverns lost the first two home games of the series, but have won three away games in a row, leaving them only one game away from taking the series.

No team that had lost the first two games in the past has ever won a Korean baseball title, but it seems likely that this jinx will be broken this year.

If manager Kim Seong-keun manages one more win, the Wyverns will enjoy their first franchise Korean Series victory (SK took over the franchise in 2000). On the other side, Bears’ manager Kim Kyung-moon lost three games in a row after two wins, casting shadow on his ‘triple crown’ Korean Series record as player (1982), coach (2001), and manager.

Wyverns soaring-

The game was dominated by the two starting pitchers until midway through the game. Wyverns pitcher Kenny Rayburn and Doosan Bears pitcher Matt Randle gave away no runs until the sixth inning each.

The balance was tipped in the eighth. Wyverns leadoff hitter Cho Dong-hwa hit an infield single, and advanced to second base on an error by Bears second baseman Koh Young-min. Kim Jae-hyun, who hit a homer the day before, drove a triple to deep right field, bringing a runner home, on the second pitch from second Bears pitcher Lim Tae-hun. Lee Ho-jun hit a double in center-right field, Kim Kang-min a double to left, and the Bears pitcher Lee Hye-cheon’s wild pitch sparked three more runs to finish off the Bears.

Bears lagging-

The Bears were no match for the Wyverns yesterday. From the second inning to the sixth, the leadoff batters all reached base, but the Bears did not score a single run. The Bears shot themselves on their foot by hitting into five double plays in the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth. Hong Sung-heun from the Bears had the dishonor of hitting into three double plays in the game. It was the third time in league history a single batter has hit into three double plays in a game. Samsung’s Kim Sung-rae hit into three in 1987, and Samsung’s Kim Jong-hoon hit into three in 2001.

After the game, manager Kim Kyung-moon said, “Our cleanup trio needs to wake up. Lim Tae-hun will start the sixth game, and the bullpen will be fully mobilized.” Manager Kim Seong-keun looked composed when he said “The players are focused. We unexpectedly and fortunately won all three away games. We will not press ourselves to win No. 4.”

MBC-ESPN commentator Huh Goo-yeon remarked, “The Wyverns have totally taken the initiative. SK’s Kim Kwang-hyun’s victory over Bears ace Daniel Rios in the fourth game meant more than just one win.” The two teams will collide in Game 6 on October 29 in Munhak Stadium, Incheon.

beetlez@donga.com