Coffee and the KBO provide me with a sense of normalcy. Being capable of viewing baseball in the early morning in New York keeps hope alive for sports to return in the United States. As for action from South Korea, both the NC Dinos and Lotte Giants moved to 4-0 with different types of wins. My Dinos racked up 13 runs on 13 hits while the Giants won via a walk-off wild pitch capping a contest highlighted by six home runs between the two teams:

Both James Grande and I have adopted the NC Dinos as our team to root for, and if you are looking for a team to adopt based on your MLB fanship, here’s a flow chart courtesy of Levi Weaver of The Athletic

Do not get lost in the sauce, just follow along the chart without getting lost, right Charlie?

In an effort to streamline the information in the KBO Round Up, myKBOstats.com publishes the scoreboard of all five scores:

Samsung and the KT Wiz garnered their first wins of the season on Friday and the standings evolve. However, with 140 games still on tap, there’s plenty of time. In terms of production, runs continue to litter the box scores, so targeting pitching will be tantamount to DFS success.

An interesting tidbit before delving into the results, Eduardo Perez noted how Drew Gagnon tipped his pitches while facing the Samsung Lions. When throwing his fastball from the wind-up, Gagnon held his glove higher but fanned his glove prior to a change-up. Not only keeping viewers interested in the game, this type of analysis grabbed my attention. It also signals a need for Gagnon to adjust with only ten teams in the league which could inhibit his strikeout upside if tipping his pitches. Great stuff and now for Friday’s fantasy tidbits.

Starting Pitcher Spotlight

Kiwoom’s starter Seung-ho Lee worked 6.2 innings giving up three hits, two earned runs, and two walks with three strikeouts. He left with two runners on base but reliever Ju-won Oh served up a game tying three-run home run costing him a decision.

Chae-heung Choi notched Samsung’s first win throwing 87 pitches over five shutout innings allowing one hit, five walks, and striking out five. Not exactly efficient, but Choi navigated through the Kia Tigers lineup without ceding a run.

Also tossing a winning effort, Hyeong-jun So of the KT Wiz lasted five innings using 84 pitches yielding five hits, two earned runs, and a walk with two strikeouts.

Hitter Highlights

KT Wiz

Breaking through for their first win, the Wiz pounded out 22 hits en route to 12 runs. While Mel Rojas Jr. gets most of the interest from DFS fans states side, do not forget about this young stud:

Here’s the team’s hitters of note from Friday’s explosion:

  • Mel Rojas Jr. (DH) - Went 4-for-5 with two runs, a double, his first home run of 2020, two RBI and a walk. 
  • Baek-ho Kang (1B) - Tallied two hits including a double in his four at-bats and scored a run. 
  • Han-joon Yoo (RF) - Racked up three hits in five at-bats with two runs and an RBI. 
  • Sung-woo Jung (C) - Also went 3-for-5 with a run and drove in three. 

NC Dinos

As noted above, the Dinos scored the most runs on Friday with 13 on 13 hits rolling to their fourth win.

  • Myung-gi Lee (LF) - A perfect day at the dish going 2-for-2 with three runs, a solo home run and two walks in four plate appearances. 
  • Eui-ji Yang (C) - Just another three-hit game for the KBO’s leading hitter last year. Yang doubled and drove in one. 
  • Min-woo Park (2B) - Went 2-for-5 with two runs, a triple and two RBI. 

Lotte Giants

Prior to the start of the season, Lotte invested in a process to add to their win total. Signing Dixon Machado represented an upgrade at shortstop paying immediate dividends even if he did not hit well in the KBO:

However, Machado is also raking including his second home run on Friday among his three hits driving in two:

His teammates also chipped in as well:

  • Jun-woo Jean (LF) - Went 2-for-5 with his second home run. 
  • Dae-Ho Lee (1B) - An identical 2-for-5, his first home run of the season and three RBI in the Giants win. 
  • Chi-hong An (2B) - Recorded a combo meal hitting his first home run among his two hits, scored two runs, walked and stole a base to stuff the stat sheet. 

SK Wyverns

In a tough loss on the road to Lotte, the Wyverns plated eight runs in a wild game.

  • Jin-gi Jeong (CF) - Finished 2-for-4 with a run, three RBI and a stolen base. 
  • Jamie Romak (1B) - Went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. 
  • Dong-min Han (RF) - Launched his KBO leading third home run driving in two. 
  • Chang-pyung Kim (2B) - Also a KBO league leader swiping his fourth base. Kim went 2-for-4 with three runs and a walk. 

Samsung Lions

Playing in a plus-hitter park, the Lions recorded their first win with an import leading the way.

  • Tyler Saldino (SS) - Hit his first KBO home run and doubled during his four at-bats with a run scored and two RBI. 
  • Ja-wook Koo (LF) - Added two hits in three at-bats with a double, two RBI and a walk. 

Kiwoom Heroes

  • Jung-hoo Lee (RF) - Reached base in all four plate appearances with three hits including a triple and a home run, two RBI along with a walk. 
  • Byung-ho Park (1B) - Racked up three hits and his second home run of the season driving three runs. 

Hanwha Eagles

  • Sun-jin Oh (SS) - Went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. 

LG Twins

  • Roberto Ramos (1B) - A rebound game for Ramos with three hits in five at-bats, a run scored and an RBI in a loss. 

With an eye on Saturday, rain could be a part of the DFS process. Some key rules in the KBO could emerge

And…

If there’s rain, those playing cash games will need to remember this:

In terms of statistics, not only does myKBOstats.com do a terrific job, more good news from Fangraphs:

It is apparent sports remain a vital part of many lives, myself included. Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm to digest all the great work across all formats. James Grande and I will keep the KBO up to date, there’s plenty of football information publishing daily along with the latest in NASCAR from Matt Selz.

Statistical Credits:
myKBOstats.com