The KIA Tigers, which finished sixth in the first half, jumped to fifth place with a noticeable rise after the All-Star break. In the second half, he recorded a winning rate of 0.645 with 20 wins, 11 losses, and 1 draw, trailing the fourth-ranked NC Dinos by half a game with 56 wins, 50 losses and 2 draws in the season.

The driving force behind KIA's rebound is the bat. He is the overwhelming No. 1 player among 10 clubs with a team batting average of 0.306 in the second half. It also shows a big difference from the league average of 0.271. Based on his recent fierce firepower, he does not shrink from any pitcher.

The last eight consecutive wins have been hotter. He showed off his strong offense with a team batting average of 0.337 with 10 home runs and OPS of 0.918 with a team batting average. In particular, the confidence of the batters has increased since he knocked down Eric Pedi, the league's strongest ace, in the match against the Gwangju NC Dinos on the 31st of last month.

KIA manager Kim Jong-kook also expressed satisfaction before the rain cancellation against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on the 5th, saying, "We got the first point in the game against NC on August 31st, but the batters' confidence increased as we immediately reversed (against Teddy)."

Currently, KIA's batting line tends to rely less on certain players. With the return of Na Sung-bum, a leading hitter who had left due to injuries in the first half, and Kim Do-young, a top prospect, will be able to fight as a whole, and Choi Hyung-woo and transfer student Kim Tae-gun are in perfect harmony.

Veteran Ko Jong-wook, who came out as a pinch hitter against the Incheon SSG Landers on the 3rd and hit the winning hit, also said, "Our team's batting line is not just one good, but all players are playing well overall, which has a great synergy effect."

Some say that KIA has built one of the league's best hitting lines, as it did when it won the integrated title in the 2017 season. KIA enjoyed the joy of winning first place in the regular league and the Korean Series based on a strong lineup of Lee Myung-ki, Kim Joo-chan, Roger Bernadina, Choi Hyung-woo, Ahn Chi-hong, Na Ji-wan, Lee Bum-ho, Kim Min-sik and Kim Sun-bin.

In the 2017 season, KIA's team batting average reached 0.302 and OPS reached 0.839. Kim Sun-bin became the batting champion with a batting average of 0.370 while Choi Hyung-woo reigned as the fourth batter of horror with a batting average of 0.342 26 home runs and 120 RBIs. Bernadina left a long-lasting report card in Tigers foreign player history with a batting average of 0.320 27 home runs, 111 RBIs and 32 steals.

Ahn Chi-hong, Kim Joo-chan, Na Ji-wan, and Lee Myung-ki produced seven batters who filled the prescribed at-bats. Veteran Lee Bum-ho hit a long hit in the bottom lineup with 25 home runs and an OPS of 0.870.

Head coach Kim Jong-kook helped his team win its 11th Korean Series six years ago as KIA's base running coach. After reaching the top of the Korean Series in 1996, 1997 and 2009, he added another winning ring as a leader.

First of all, Kim Jong-kook said, "The KIA batters in 2017 are much better than the current lineup. The team's batting average exceeded 30 percent, he said, adding, "Now, it should be said that more young players have joined." "I can't compare it to six years ago, but I think it can be seen as the most organized batting line overall since 2017," he said with confidence.

"There is a mutual belief that batters can score points and win if pitchers minimize runs, and in a way, these should be seen as teamwork," he said. "Other teams will be the same, but both pitchers and batters enjoy a good atmosphere when they do well." "I feel like I can win a lot," he stressed. 스포츠토토