Saturday’s slate featured rain with three of the five KBO contests postponed. Of course, rain affects a schedule differently and at least team stands to benefit:
#LotteGiants will skip Won-sam Jang and will start @danstraily67 tomorrow. Today’s rainout is allowing Giants to skip their 5th starter while giving much needed rest to their bullpen. Things are clicking for the undefeated Giants. #KBODK pic.twitter.com/SuEkJScBQP
— Daniel Kim ??? ? (@DanielKimW) May 9, 2020
When preparing for DFS on Sunday, keep this tidbit in mind with Dan Straily heading to the mound for the undefeated Lotte Giants. In an effort to update the immersion into the KBO, check out this view from today:
Today's #FuturesLeague game #LotteGiants vs #LGTwins has been cancelled due to rain.
— SPOCADO (@SPOCADO1) May 9, 2020
?? 13? ????? #????? #?????? vs #????? 2?? ??? ???????. pic.twitter.com/eBlqNMYDs3
Although weather stole the spotlight on Saturday, it cannot shroud the controversy with umpires so far in the KBO:
Umpiring has been terrible so far this season. Ha-seong Kim is called out on a pitch that WAY OFF the plate. There were 2 runners in scoring position.
— Daniel Kim ??? ? (@DanielKimW) May 9, 2020
Not sure if #KBO can continue to demote umpires, but frustration is boiling. #KBODK pic.twitter.com/9SwAXNllPP
One umpiring crew has already been demoted to the KBO minor leagues after the opening series earlier this week and games continue to occur with animated frustration by pitchers, hitters and managers. It will be worth watching going forward. Imagine the MLB sending down Angel Hernandez after a rough three game stretch, of course many major league players may agree with this process but it’s a slippery slope.
As for the games on Saturday, the Kiwoom Heroes notched their fourth win with a 5-3 win over Hanwha while the Samsung Lions exploded for 14 runs on 13 hits in a 14-2 win against the struggling Kia Tigers. It’s early in the season but pressure seems to be mounting on one import in particular:
Matt Williams’ #KiaTigers are off to a real slow start at they fall 1-4 for the season. Next couple of games will be very important. It’s only been 5 games, but when u are managing the most popular team in league, pressure can amount quickly. #KBO #KBODK
— Daniel Kim ??? ? (@DanielKimW) May 9, 2020
Due to only two games being played, the players notes will be a bit more streamlined but with pertinent information.
Starting Pitcher Spotlight
In a no-decision, Ee-whan Kim of the Hanwha Eagles left with a lead which dissolved in the bottom of the sixth by his bullpen. Kim threw 91 pitches in five innings giving up two hits, one earned run, four walks and struck out four yielding the fewest earned runs by any starter on Saturday.
Benefitting from his team’s comeback, Hyun-hee Han garnered his first win working six innings allowing eight hits, three earned runs and one walk with four strikeouts for the Kiwoom Heroes.
Targeting players from Samsung made sense on Saturday due to playing in a dome. Tae-in Won logged five innings en route to his first win of 2020 yielding six hits, two earned runs and three walks with two strikeouts during the Lions lopsided victory.
Hitter Highlights
Samsung Lions
Noting the Samsung home park favors hitters, the Lions finally broke out scoring 14 runs on 13 hits. While the offense featured hits up and down the lineup, here’s the two players of interest from Saturday:
Dong-yeop Kim (DH) - Went 2-for-5 with two runs and three RBI.
Sung-gyu Lee (1B) - Hitting ninth in the lineup did not affect Lee’s strong day at the dish. Lee scored three runs, recorded two hits in three at-bats including a triple, drove in three runs, walked and reached via a hit-by-pitch.
Kiwoom Heroes
Jung-hoo Lee (OF) - One of the young players to track in the KBO with MLB aspirations, Lee launched his second home run of the season and reached base on a hit-by-pitch. So far this season, Lee’s slashing a robust .333/.444/.762 with a .429 isolated power and 1.206 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Byeong-wuk Lim (OF) - In an under the radar fashion, Lim swiped his third base on Saturday going 1-for-2 with two runs and two walks.
Hanwha Eagles
Kwang-min Song (1B) - Blasted his second home run of 2020 and reached base on a hit-by-pitch. Here’s his home run displaying how hitters in the KBO attack first pitches:
Song Kwang-min wasted no time during this AB and jumped of the 1st pitch that he saw for a solo shot to left. This was Song's 2nd HR of the season. #KBO #HanwhaEagles pic.twitter.com/MsyRG8UaLE
— KBO Collections (@kbocollections) May 9, 2020
Kia Tigers
Yong-hwan Baek (C) - Went 1-for-3 with his second home run, a solo shot.
Being one of the only live events available for consumption, the KBO continues to draw in fans for live baseball. This can be seen in this article:
For love of the game: with KBO on ESPN, American fans happy to watch live baseball https://t.co/7xQQMDECR8
— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) May 8, 2020
As projected pitchers get announced, the DFS slate for the KBO will be updated by yours truly later giving James Grande the night off.
Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm across all fantasy formats to remain ahead of the competition.
Statistical Credits
myKBOstats.com
Fangraphs.com