September KBO Stats

October 9, 2:14 AMAsian-American Sports ExaminerMichael Street

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My Man From Korea, Eric, has once again updated us on the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) stats for the last month of the season.

With just eight teams in the league, the top four teams reach the playoffs, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a fight to the end.

The Wyverns got hot and nearly overtook the Tigers, but Kia stuck it out to take the top spot, though it was only by a game.

At the bottom, the Samsung Lions grabbed hold of the fourth seed, but the Lotte Giants snatched it back, finishing just two points ahead of the Lions.

In the end, the teams finished in the same order they were in at the start of month—Much Ado About Nothing, you might say, but that didn't make it any less exciting.

The final lines are here (remember, the KBO allows ties, the way the Japanese NPB does, which is why these look like hockey teams):

*1st: Kia Tigers, 81-41-4
*2nd: SK Wyverns, 80-47-6, 1 game back
*3rd: Doosan Bears, 71-60-2, 10 games back
*4th: Lotte Giants, 66-67-0, 15.0 games back
5th: Samsung Lions, 64-69-0, 17.0 games back
6th: Seoul Heroes, 60-72-1, 21 games back
7th: LG Twins, 54-75-4, 27 games back
Last: Hanwha Eagles, 46-84-3, 35.0 games back

The top two seeds get a first-round bye, while the Bears and Giants will battle to see who plays whom in the next round.

Kia Tigers

OF Yong-kyu Lee: .182, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB. 2009 line: .266, 0 HR, 14 RBI, 10 SB.

Soon after I commented in August that Lee seemed to be over his bad ankle, he seemed to fall apart in September. Clearly, when you don't get on base much—and that batting average tells you he didn't—you can't steal bases. If the Tigers want to move forward in the playoffs, they need Lee producing on top of it.

SP Suk-min Yoon: 0-1, 27.00 ERA. 2009 line: 9-4, 3.46 ERA, 7 SV (2 blown).

Once again, I spoke too soon. The Tigers moved Yoon out of the closer's role, and he did a great job in August. Then, in his first September start, he coughed up 10 ER in 3.1 IP against Doosan, and the Tigers sent him for an MRI. It turned out he had fluid in his shoulder and hasn't pitched since—the Tigers would need him to win their first title since 1997, but it's unclear if he'll be ready by then. Brandon Webb in MLB lost most of the 2009 season to a similar condition, so Yoon might have lost more than the rest of this season.

SK Wyverns

INF Keun-woo Jeong: .354, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 8 SB. 2009 line: .350, 9 HR, 59 RBI, 53 SB.

If you remember last month, Jeong's average this month actually slipped from last month. But he still had an excellent 2009, and—though he might not be the MVP candidate I predicted in September—he should help the Wyverns advance in the playoffs.

3B/SS Jeong Choi: .347, 4 HR, 15 RBI. 2009 line: .265, 19 HR, 58 RBI.

Now that Choi's playing again, he wasted no time in putting together a fine September. He, too, will be extremely important to the Wyverns' postseason chances, so they're glad to have him back.

SP Kwang-hyun Kim: did not pitch in September. 2009 line: 12-2, 2.80 ERA.

Despite missing the entire month from an injury to his pitching arm, Kim still finished with the best ERA in KBO. His status is uncertain for the Wyverns' postseason; with aces Kim and Yoon hurt from the top two teams, it could open the door for a lower-ranked team.

CP Tae-hyon Chong: 1 Sv, 4.50 ERA. 2009 line: 10 Sv (3 blown), 1.20 ERA.

Though he's the LOOGY (Lefty One Out Guy) in the Wyvern pen, Chong still got that one save. Despite a rough month in ERA, he's still in fine form overall, and SK hopes he's ready for the push to win the Korea Series.

Doosan Bears

2B Young-min Ko: .213, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB. 2009 line: .235, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 12 SB.

The Bears' defensive wizard at the cornerstone failed to reach even his low standards for September. The steals are nice, the glovework is great, but the Bears need to find a better bat at 2B if they're going to truly challenge some of the top KBO teams.

OF Hyun-soo Kim: .403, 3 HR, 16 RBI. 2009 line: .357, 23 HR, 104 RBI.

Kim has been turning it on of late, and September was clearly a fantastic month for him. Clearly the top hitter on Doosan, Kim's great season is a big reason they made it to the postseason—and his performance is likely to determine if they advance.

OF Jong-wook Lee: .288, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 10 SB. 2009 line: .276, 1 HR, 28 RBI, 37 SB.

Though Lee's bat slowed down in September, his feet didn't. His 10 swipes weren't as good as August's 15, but they're still fine work. Had he been healthy the entire season, Lee's numbers would have been much stronger. As it is, he should play a key role in the Bears' playoff hopes.

Lotte Giants

C Min-ho Kang: .625 (5 for 8), 0 HR, 1 RBI. 2009 line: .260, 9 HR, 30 RBI.

Maybe Kang wasn't healthy after all. He played 12 games in August and looked to be healthy, but only played two games in September. Missing their starting catcher—particularly one with good offense—is going to hurt Lotte's chances in the playoffs.

1B/3B Dae-ho Lee: .293, 2 HR, 8 RBI. 2009 line: .293, 28 HR, 100 RBI.

"Big Boy" didn't look too big in September, but he missed most of the month, only playing 12 games, and he's there for the playoffs. Reaching 100 RBI is nice, and his overall .293/.377/.531 line is a great improvement over 2008's .301/.400/.478, 18 HR, 94 RBI season. No matter how the Giants do in the playoffs, let's hope Lee keeps rising from that subpar 2008.

SS Ki-hyuk Park: .103, 0 HR, 1 RBI. 2009 line: .217, 0 HR, 21 RBI.

Park's really fallen off the table in the past two months. While KBO shortstops are known more for their gloves than their bats, this kind of production is unacceptable. He played just 11 games in the month, part of a trend where he saw decreasing time every month since May. What role he'll play in the Giants' playoffs seems less important than where he'll be in 2010—it could be the bench.

Samsung Lions

CP Seung-hwan Oh: did not pitch in September. 2009 line: 19 Sv (1 blown), 4.83 ERA.

After a poor first half of 2009, Oh hasn't pitched since mid-July. He's either hurt—or Eric suspects he might be working out those kinks in the minors. Those two games that separated Samsung from a playoff spot look awfully small, especially when you consider Oh lost one of them with that blown save.

Seoul Heroes

OF Taek-keun Lee: .302, 2 HR, 12 RBI. 2009 line: .311, 15 HR, 66 RBI.

Lee had an up-and-down year, and September was a bit down, though that average is certainly respectable. And finishing with a .302/.408/.467 slash line isn't anything to scoff at, either. The only disappointment for Lee was that he failed to maintain his MVP pace of the early season. But he's just 29, so there's plenty of time for him to continue growing.

LG Twins

OF Jin-young Lee: .216, 0 HR, 4 RBI. 2009 line: .300, 14 HR, 69 RBI.

Lee also tailed off significantly in September, which was either the cause or the effect of his intermittent playing time—he appeared in just 12 games all month. It was Lee's worst month all season, and may have just been Lee wearing down after a long season that began with the WBC. He's been rather inconsistent in the WBO in the past, and this year looks like it's no different.

SP Jung-keun Bong: 1-1, 2.08 ERA. 2009 line: 11-12, 3.29 ERA. Bong finished strong, after several months of decline, perhaps disproving the notion that the WBC wears down pitchers. Bong was Team Korea's best starter, and certain the Twins' best starter, too, so it's nice to see him end the season on a high note.

Hanwha Eagles

1B Tae-kyun Kim: .403, 3 HR, 16 RBI. 2009 line: .330, 19 HR, 62 RBI.

The buzz around Korea during the WBC was that Kim, a free agent in 2010, could move to MLB. Putting up a September like this is an excellent way to get noticed. His overall line of .330/.416/.545 is outstanding, and he's only 27. This could be just rumor, but Kim has the skills to make the move, and MLB is looking more towards the East each year—Korea's the hot new place to find talent. All of this may mean that you'll be reading a lot more about Kim in 2010, and not just from this Examiner.

3B Bum-ho Lee: .380, 2 HR, 7 RBI. 2009 line: .284, 25 HR, 79 RBI.

That's the way to finish a year! After an awful May, Lee improved offensively almost across the board in every month since. Hitting .380/.446/.580 for the month is a great way to head into free agency, which Lee is also heading towards in 2010. Eric's skeptical that Hanwha will sign either of their top stars unless they're ready to contend; whatever team Lee plays for is likely to contend if he keeps hitting like this.

SP Hyun-jin Ryu: 3-1, 1.82 ERA. 2009 line: 13-12, 3.57 ERA.
Not only did Ryu finish 2009 with a strong month—imagine how well the Eagles could have done if these guys played all year like they did in September—he also captured the KBO strikeout crown, with 188. Considering he did that in 189 innings, that's pretty amazing. At just 22, Ryu should have a promising career ahead of him.

Manager In-Sik Kim

This was Kim's final season, as he'll be replaced in 2010 with Dae-hwa Han, who's now a coach for the Samsung Lions. The 62-year-old is reporterdly tired—remember, he was the WBC manager—and will slide into a front-office role. Eric and I bid him a fond farewell. His management in the WBC was unconventional, brilliant, and amazingly prescient. He pushed the right buttons at just the right time on the diamond, and Eagle fans hope he can work the same magic behind the scenes. A fond farewell to a great manager!

All photos courtesy of the Korean Baseball Organization.