"The starting pitchers are really good."
The 2025 professional baseball season is showing a clear trend of less scoring despite more home runs. No team has a batting average over .300. LG leads with a batting average of .282. LG and KT have recorded earned run averages (ERA) in the 2.00 range. Two teams, Hanwha and SSG, also have an ERA above 3.00. The top team ERA in the 2024 season was KIA's 4.40. It seems to be following the extreme low-scoring trends of the NPB league.
It is clear that the pitchers have improved. KT manager Lee Kang-chul found the reason in the strength of the starters. "The starters are performing well, making it very difficult for hitters. It can't help but be less scoring. Currently, all the foreign starters in each team are performing well. LG, Hanwha, SSG, KIA, and others have foreign pitchers throwing over 150 km/h. Many good overseas players have come this year. They are almost like Major League players. Along with this, the native starters have also improved significantly," he diagnosed.
The diagnosis seems accurate. Currently, there are no foreign pitchers rumored to be dismissed due to poor performance since the opening. LG, which has emerged as the leading team, lost some players due to injury, but Eliezer Hernandez and Yoni Chirinos have been functioning powerfully as a one-two punch. SSG's Drew Anderson has shown stability, and Mitch White has returned from injury to pitch effectively. Hanwha's existing Ryan Weiss and Cody Phonsae are also throwing hot pitches.
KIA's James Neale is throwing the best pitches in the league, and newly signed Adam Oller is performing well as a 154 km/h pitcher. Doosan's left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin has solidified his role as the ace, and Jack log is also taking responsibility for six innings. Lotte's new foreign player Tucker Davidson is pitching with a commendable ERA of 2.45. NC also has Logan Allen and Riley Thompson performing well in the starting rotation.
Domestically developed starting pitchers are also achieving noticeable success. LG's Lim Chan-kyu has recorded a complete game with an impressive ERA of 1.30, demonstrating ace-level performance. Samsung's Won Tae-in joined the rotation about a week late and has excelled with an ERA of 1.57 over four games. KIA's Kim Do-hyun is putting up number two starter-level statistics, and KT's Koh Young-pyo has restored his powerful changeup, while the newcomer Oh Won-seok is also contributing as a strong starter.
LG has developed left-hander Song Seung-ki to strengthen their starting lineup, and SSG has returned Mun Seung-won, who excelled as a closer, back to the starting lineup for added excitement. Hanwha's Ryu Hyun-jin is cruising with an ERA in the 2.00 range, and Moon Dong-joo is backing him up as a speedy starter. Lotte's Park Se-woong is also holding down his spot as a homegrown ace, and SSG veteran Kim Kwang-hyun is solidly positioned with an ERA in the 3.00 range.
The manager noted, "Rookies like Bae Chan-seung and Kim Young-woo, who throw over 150 km/h, have come in. Currently, excluding LG, there are no teams that score a lot in the early stages. Strong starters are helping to keep the teams that perform well. There will be many one-point games. Apart from LG, if other teams lose two consecutive games, they will drop immediately. Fans will enjoy it, and it will be a hit," he laughed.
Soon, a hitter that can be compared against the scoring trends will return. MVP Kim Do-young is expected to return at the end of this month after completing rehabilitation. Last year, he had a record of a .347 batting average, 38 home runs, 40 stolen bases, 109 RBIs, 143 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.067, dominating the league. Attention is focused on whether Kim Do-young can replicate last year's performance or if he will be affected by the less scoring trends.
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