May 11 - The Nexen Heroes came to town. I decided to go to the game and cheer on my favourite player, Yoon Suk Min. He did NOT disappoint! Unbelievably coach Jo kept him in for the ENTIRE game! 9 FULL innings! He gave up 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and struck out 7. NINE innings! Complete game! Can't rememer the last one for the Tigers! Let's hope this is a sign of things to come! In the 5th Lee Yong Gyu got a one-out double. Next hitter An Chi Hong was walked and then Choi Hee Seop got an incredible semi-check-swing 3-run homer! He only had one hand on the bat when he hit it. He IS en fuego! In the 7th Yoon gave up a 2-out solo shot that made it 3-1. Then in the 8th another run scored. I thought Jo would pull Yoon but he didn't.
The Kia half of the 8th was a thing of beauty! Big Choi leads off with a single, (two handed this time). Kim Weon Seop was told to sac bunt. I was screaming from the stands for him to swing away but he didn't listen. Fortunately he fouled off two bunt attempts. I was cheering and whistling loudly when he fouled those bunts off! The people around me were asking why and I told them bunting was for pussies. Then he gets a base hit! Now EVERYBODY'S cheering and I'm saying, "SEE? What did I tell you?" So now runners on first and second with no outs and up comes Kim Sang Hoon squaring around for the sac bunt. I nearly lost it. But wait! He pulls back and gets a base hit up the middle! For the second time in the game Choi Hee Seop is stopped as he's rounding third base with PLENTY of time to score but that's okay we got the bases loaded without sacrificing an out. Pak Ki Nam walks in a run so it's 4-2. Then Lee Hyun Gon gets a run scoring out to make it 5-2. Not great but hey, 2 runs is 2 runs.
In the 9th Yoon Suk Min gave up a hit to Clark and Lee Yong Gyu had to make a spectacular run-saving catch but Yoon struck out the last guy to get the complete game victory. Final: Kia 5 Nexen 2
May 12th - Jeon Tae Hyun was hoping to even his win/loss score at 2 and 2 with a win on this day. He only lasted 2 innings. He gave up 4 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks and even hit a pair of Nexen Heroes during his short appearance. That's gonna hurt his already unspectacular 4.70 E.R.A. Kim Hee Geol was no better. But then for the last 5 innings we saw two guys that I'd like to see more of: Jo Tae Soo and Park Kyung Tae. They'd give guys like Gwag Jung Cheol and Yoo Dong Hoon a run for their positions I think. Lee Yong Gyu and Kim Weon Seop got a couple hits each and the always steady Kim Sang Hoon got a 2-out single in the 2nd. Kim Sun Bin followed that with a blast off the top of the wall in left/center field. About a foot from a 2-run homer. Kim Sang Hoon chugged all the way around the bases but being a catcher he was a dead duck at the plate. That was the only real excitement for the Tigers in the game. The good news is the third base coach waved Kim home. I like the aggressiveness of that. Final: Nexen 6 Kia 1
May 13th - Seo Jae Eung had another good appearance in this one. He went 6 innings giving up 9 hits and 2 runs but came out with a 4-2 lead. On came Son Young Min. Would it be the Son of last year or the new improved 2010 version? I'm still always nervous when he comes out. But he went 2 innings giving up only one hit and one walk while striking out 3. Yoo Dong Hoon gave up a hit and hit a guy in his one inning but got the save. Does any bullpen in the league hit more batters? It was a very good game to watch! The coaches are continuing to show signs of smartening up and letting the players play. Lee Jong Hwan was the offensive hero on the day getting an RBI single in the 3rd and solo homer in the 5th going 2/4. Kim Sun Bin went 2/4 and stole two bases. Two VERY dramatic bases!
Here was the situation: 6th inning Pak Ki Nam gets a leadoff double. Rather than bunt him to third Kim Sun Bin got a base hit advancing him to third. Then Kim stole second while Lee Yong Gyu was trying to bunt. I think Lee Yong Gyu eventually popped out. I forget. Then there was a wild pitch and Pak scored and Kim advanced to third. 3-2 Tigers. Next batter was Na Ji Weon who worked a walk. So with guys at first and third with one out and Kim Weon Seop at the plate I turn to Amber, (who was sitting beside me in the second deck just off first base), and say, "You know, Na should go." She says, "What? He's slow." So I say, "Yeah but if they throw to second then Kim Sun Bin could sneak home. Or they could even do a hit and run but coach Jo just never calls stuff like that!" I THINK, Jo called a bunt and run. Kim Weon Seop missed the bunt and Na was in a run-down between first and second. While that went on Kim Sun Bin stole home and they never did tag Na Ji Weon out so he was at second with STILL only one out! BEST Jo Beom Hyun call EVER! And after it happened I yelled to Amber over the cheers in Moodeung Stadium, "SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!!" Final: Kia 4 Nexen 2
May 14th - Two welcome sights for Tiger Fans: Yang Hyun Jong on the bump, and the Hanhwa Eagles as the opponent. Players like Lee Jong Hwan, Kim Sun Bin and Pak Ki Nam are getting more game time these days. Guys like Lee Hyun Gon, Lee Jong Beom, Cha Il Mok and even Na Ji Weon are being used more sparingly. Kim Sang Hyun, last year's league MVP, has been missing for a long time. I saw him hurt his foot by fouling a ball off it but I had no idea it would be this bad. He continued playing afterwards so I thought it wasn't serious. I guess he's just a tough guy. The team sure misses him but Pak Ki Nam is doing well at third in his place. In the 5th inning Na Ji Weon got hit by a pitch then Pak got a two-run homer. Lee Jong Hwan got 2 RBI's on a bases loaded single in the same inning and Kim Sun Bin was 2/2 with a walk and a run. They provided the offense for Yang who went 6 1/3 giving up 10 hits, 3 runs and striking out a respectable 8 batters. Gwang Jung Cheol looked great striking out 3 and giving up just one walk in his inning and 2/3 of relief. Yoo Dong Hoon got his second save in two nights striking out the side in the 9th. Now THAT'S how I spell relief! Final score: Kia 5 Hanhwa 3
May 15th - Colon made his second appearance for the Tigers. He did all right going 5 1/3 giving up 5 hits a walk and 2 runs. He had a 3-2 lead when he exited. But on came Son Young Min. THIS time he was the old Son giving up 2 hits and a run almost instantly. So it was 3-3. The Tigers did okay in this one, but after the best coaching call I've seen Jo make, he had a real stinker of a game on this night.
In the 4th inning An Chi Hong lead off with a single. Kim Weon Seop was told to sac bunt. This is the same guy who was told to bunt-and-run the night before. I think. And he was the guy who three nights ago fouled off two sac bunts then got a hit to prove how stupid this call is. How quickly Jo forgets! The bunt was perfect - one out and a man on second. Next guy gets out but advances the runner to third. Then Kim Sun Bin gets a base hit and the runner scores making it 3-0. So for the SECOND time this year the sac bunt did its job. Jo was probably happy but I was thinking it was awfully early to be doing this. There were a couple other sac bunts that didn't work and the Eagles slowly made their comeback.
Then in the 8th inning Kim Hee Geol was pitching. For some reason the outfield was drawn way in. Another questionable call made, I assume, by Jo. There was a botched throw to first, a wild pitch, a walk and then a lazy fly ball to deep right field, that would have been caught if the fielders weren't inexplicably drawn in, won the game for the Eagles. Really it was some bad defence and some bad coaching that LOST the game for the Tigers. Final score: Hanhwa 4 Kia 3
May 16th - Lopez got the unenviable chore of going up against Ryu Hyun Jin who had struck out 17 guys in his last appearance. In the first inning Lee Yong Gyu lead off with a single and the next batter was told to sacrifice bunt. For just about any pitcher the early innings is when you should get them. You may not get another chance against a guy like Ryu. Sacrifice bunting in the 1st inning is just NOT the way to attack this guy. And he WAS shaky in the early innings but the Tigers weren't allowed to take advantage of it. Then he settled in and it was a laugher. I'm not saying the sac bunt in the 1st inning lost this game for the Tigers. They probably wouldn't have won it anyway. But it sends a message to the team that the coach isn't confident of the win. Need I remind you that last week the Tigers beat the Eagles with Ryu on the mound? Final score: Eagles 6 Tigers 1
I have mixed feelings about this past week for the Tigers. Some solid coaching and some real mental errors lead me to confusion as to which coaches will show up for the team from game to game. It can't be any different for the players and this sure isn't a good atmosphere to play in. The good games are the ones where playing aggressively WINS the game for the Tigers. There have been many as this blog will show. There have been exactly zero games this year in which playing carefully has won the game for them. In fact it has LOST them the game on several occasions. I hope before the end of the season the coaches realize this.
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