Although rumors continue to swirl about Matt Harvey heading to the KBO, the timeline of him pitching makes teams wary to sign him as detailed in this tweet: 

As for the games on Thursday, the NC Dinos bounced back to win the series over Doosan behind another strong game by Jin-sung Kang, but Hanwha suffered its 17th straight loss despite their manager trying to win at all costs:

In a doubleheader, the LG Twins took the series win from SK in a sweep and seem to like double dips so far in 2020:

Lotte made a roster adjustment at catcher searching for production: 

Sung-joon Ji did not record a hit but drew two walks and drove in a run during the Giants shutout win over Hanwha, his former team. Even with six games in the books on Thursday, the Round Up still covers the top performances of the day. 

Starting Pitcher Spotlight

During Game 1 of a doubleheader, Min-ho Lee notched his second win, striking out seven in seven innings allowing six hits and one earned run. His ERA sits at 1.16 with a 0.90 WHIP through 23.1 innings this season. 

In a no-decision, Ricardo Pinto recorded a quality start giving up one earned run, seven hits and one walk, with three strikeouts over six innings. Pinto’s ERA (3.76) does not match his WHIP (1.65), but he’s surviving his first go around in the KBO. 

Mike Wright moved to 5-1 during the NC Dinos win but only lasted five innings yielding six hits, two earned runs, and two walks with four strikeouts. Wright’s made seven starts for NC logging 39 innings with a 2.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 35:18 K:BB in them. 

Hitter Highlights

KT Wiz

  • Jeong-dae Bae (OF) - Went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI in the Wiz 13 run explosion. 
  • Baek-ho Kang (1B) - In only his third game back from a wrist injury, Kang launched his sixth home run and first since his return among three hits and scored runs. 
  • Han-joon Yoo (DH) - Racked up three hits including a double driving in three runs and walked. 
  • Mel Rojas Jr. (OF) - Crushed his 10th home run while going 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI. Rojas Jr. moved into a tie for second in the KBO in home runs, ranks second in RBI (32) and third in batting average (.391) entering weekend play. 
  • Sung-woo Jang (C) - Hit his fourth home run driving in three on his only hit in five at-bats. 
  • Seong-ho Chun (3B) - Tallied three hits in four at-bats with a run, double and a walk. 

Kia Tigers

  • Ho-ryung Kim (OF) - Even in a loss, Kim stayed hot atop the Kia lineup with three hits in five at-bats. He scored a run, doubled, and drove in two. Through his first 35 plate appearances spanning nine games this season, Kim’s slashing .419/.486/.806 with 12 runs, two doubles, two triples, two home runs, six RBI, and two stolen bases. 
  • Preston Tucker (OF) - Snapped a six-game homerless streak blasting his 10th home run and also doubled during a 3-for-5 contest with two RBI. Tucker holds the KBO lead in RBI by one with 33 so far in 2020. 
  • Ji-hyeok Ryu (3B) - Went 3-for-5 with a run scored. 
  • Seon-woo Oh (OF) - Hit his first home run driving in three in five at-bats. 
  • Joo-chan Kim (1B) - Finished with three hits in four at-bats with two runs, his first home run, and an RBI. 

NC Dinos

Coming off a loss, the Dinos offense led by Jin-sung Kang produced a 7-5 win moving to 25-7 on the season. Kang went 3-for-4 including this shot: 

Kang also doubled, scored two runs, and drove in two. He’s slashing a robust .451/.5050/.813 through 106 plate appearances and moved into a tie for third in the league in RBI with 31 in only 29 games played this season. His teammates also chipped in: 

  • Min-woo Park (2B) - Recorded two hits in five at-bats with a run and doubled. 
  • Myung-gi Lee (OF) - Notched his fourth straight multiple hit game going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Lee’s on an eight-game hit streak during which he’s 14-for-27 (.519) with eight runs in them. 
  • Eui-ji Yang (DH) - Moved his personal hit streak to seven with two hits including a double in four at-bats, scored a run, and drove in one. Yang’s not only on the hit steak, but he has registered an extra-base in six straight contests (three doubles, three home runs) with 13 RBI. 
  • Aaron Altherr (OF) - Wait, another Dino on a hit streak? Altherr extended his hit streak to eight games and drove in a run while going 1-for-4 on Thursday. 

Doosan Bears

  • Kun-woo Park (OF) - Racked up three hits for the second time in three games on a 3-for-4 day with a run and a double. 
  • Jae-il Oh (1B) - Tallied two hits in three at-bats with a double and an RBI. 
  • Soo-bin Jung (OF) - Hit his first home run driving in three in four at-bats. 

Samsung Lions

  • Ja-wook Koo (OF) - Went 2-for-4 with his second home run driving in two. Koo’s hit safely in all three games since returning from the injured list. 
  • Hak-Ju Lee (SS) - Launched his second home run going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. 
  • Hae-min Park (OF) - Finished a perfect day at the dish with three hits in three at-bats including his second home run with two RBI, scored two runs, and completed a combo meal with his fourth stolen base. 

Kiwoom Heroes

  • Dong-won Park (C) - Just another productive day for Park going 1-for-3 with a run and a walk. 
  • Hye-sung Kim (SS) - Seems a bit streaky but went 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, his second home run, and drove in two. 

Lotte Giants

  • Jun-woo Jeon (DH) - Went 2-for-5 with a run and a double. 
  • Chi-hong An (2B) - Racked up two hits in four at-bats with a double and an RBI. 
  • Dixon Machado (SS) - Drove in a run on a sacrifice fly during a 1-for-3 game with a run scored. 

LG Twins

Not sure why teams pitch to Roberto Ramos with first base open but he made SK pay in Game 1 hitting his league leading 13th home run: 

During LG’s sweep, Ramos went 3-for-8 with four RBI, the Twins scored seven runs in the two games. Ramos currently owns a .375/.442/.777 slash line with 31 RBI. Pretty, pretty, good right Colorado?

Once games end on Thursday, teams travel for their weekend three-game sets. Here’s the updated standings before listing the upcoming series: 

With this in mind, here is how the weekend games shape up: 

  • Kia Tigers at SK Wyverns
  • KT Wiz at Samsung Lions
  • Lotte Giants at LG Twins
  • Doosan Bears at Hanwha Eagles
  • Kiwoom Heroes at NC Dinos

Noting Samsung’s stadium proves to be one of the most homer friendly in the KBO, the KT Wiz arrive with a struggling bullpen but coming off a 13 run outburst led by Baek-ho Kang and Mel Rojas Jr. Part of the reason for the NC Dinos strong start lies in its deep lineup and strong rotation anchored by Chang-mo Koo who will take the mound on Friday looking for his sixth win. Imports Tyler Wilson (LG) and Dan Straily (Lotte) match-up in a game with both teams on win streaks. Be sure to stay with Fantasy Alarm across all fantasy formats to remain ahead of the competition. 

Statistical Credits: 

myKBOstats.com
Eng.koreabaseball.com