The professional baseball team Kiwoom Heroes has suffered another sweep loss. Struggling to find a breakthrough, they remain mired in a .200 winning percentage.
Kiwoom lost all three games against Samsung at Gocheok from May 20 to 22. Following previous losses against Lotte at Sajik from April 15 to 17, Lotte at Gocheok from April 29 to May 1, Hanwha at Gocheok from June 9 to 11, and LG at Jamsil from June 13 to 15, this marks their fifth consecutive three-game sweep loss of the season. They have yet to achieve a sweep win.
As of that day, Kiwoom sits at 14 wins and 38 losses for a .269 winning percentage, ranking 10th. In May alone, they have plummeted with a record of 3 wins and 16 losses for a .168 winning percentage. The gap with first-place LG has widened to 19 games, and they are now 8.5 games behind 9th place Doosan. While there is fierce competition both at the top and middle of the standings, Kiwoom appears isolated like an island. Teams facing Kiwoom feel they need at least 2 wins to break even.
Currently, Kiwoom is on pace for a possible 105 losses. The highest number of losses in a single season in the KBO League history is 97, recorded by SSANGBANGWOOL in 1999 and Lotte in 2002. Following that, Hanwha had 96 losses in 2022. It wouldn't be surprising if Kiwoom writes the shameful record of being the first team in league history to have 100 losses.
A winning percentage below .200 has never occurred in the 17 years since the founding of Heroes in 2008 until last year. The lowest winning percentage was .389 when they finished 8th in their inaugural season in 2011. In league history, only four teams have recorded a winning percentage below .300: Sammi in 1982 (15 wins, 65 losses, .188), SSANGBANGWOOL in 1999 (28 wins, 97 losses, 1 tie, .224), Lotte in 2002 (35 wins, 97 losses, 1 tie, .265), and Binggrae in 1986 (31 wins, 76 losses, 1 tie, .290).
Kiwoom, which had been stuck at 10th place for two consecutive years, showcased a tough lineup with winning percentages above .400 in both 2023 (.411) and 2024 (.403). Even top teams were unable to ease their focus when facing Kiwoom, making the second half of the season exciting.
However, this year, they have consistently lagged in the ranking battle from the outset. Following the loss of star player Kim Hye-sung (Los Angeles Dodgers) to Major League Baseball during the winter, the team took risks without any substantial reinforcements, which had been somewhat anticipated. Proven foreign pitchers Ariel Hurado and Emmanuel De Jesus both opted not to renew their contracts, leaving the team. Hurado and De Jesus have since signed with Samsung and KT, respectively, and are actively participating.
Despite taking risks by hiring two foreign hitters to strengthen the weak batting lineup and provide more opportunities for younger pitchers, it has already proven to be a failure. Yasiel Puig was released on the 19th after struggling due to a shoulder injury, and Ruben Cardenas only had a brief shine at the start of the season but is now also struggling.
With the foreign hitters not meeting expectations, domestic players are also failing to benefit from the umbrella effect. Lee Ju-hyung, who was expected to be the next Lee Jung-hoo, has fallen into an extreme slump with no hits in 26 at-bats over the last 10 games, causing his season batting average to drop significantly to .200. The performance of promising players, who sparked a storm at the start, has also diminished, leading Kiwoom to rank 10th in team batting average (.226), on-base percentage (.299), slugging percentage (.330), and OPS (.629).
The gamble of signing two foreign hitters has only caused a collapse of the mound rather than strengthening the batting lineup. Aside from Kenny Rosenberg, the only foreign pitcher, eight domestic pitchers have rotated to receive starting opportunities, but none have an earned run average below 4. The average number of innings pitched per start is not even five, increasing the burden on the bullpen. In a season characterized by high scoring, Kiwoom's team ERA is the only one in the 5's (5.92), the highest in the league. They also have the most errors (44), resulting in weak defensive support. In every metric regarding hitting, pitching, and defense, it is unavoidable that Kiwoom ranks 10th. Their squad is too weak, making it difficult for manager Hong Won-ki to secure wins no matter what he tries.
Kiwoom has released Puig and signed foreign pitcher Raul Alcantara, who has experience in the KBO League with KT and Doosan. The overall first-round rookie pitcher Jung Hyun-woo, who was removed from the first-team roster due to a minor shoulder muscle injury on the 17th of last month, is also preparing for a return next month. If the two pitchers join the starting rotation, they may be able to stabilize the mound and aim for a rebound. However, if Alcantara, who has shown a distinct downward trend due to a previous elbow injury while with Doosan last year, fails to bounce back and rookie Jung Hyun-woo shows deficiencies due to lack of experience, the fear of a historic 100 losses could become a reality. No matter how much of a rebuilding season it is, they must avoid the disgrace of 100 losses.
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