It’s been about two months since the start of the regular season, but the “big three” system hasn’t changed. The LG Twins, SSG Landers, and Lotte Giants are in a tight race for the top spot.
LG, the first team to reach the 30-win plateau this season, leads the way with a 30-1 record (0.652), followed closely by SSG with a 28-1 record (0.636). Third-place Lotte is just one game behind SSG in second place with 26 wins and 16 losses (0.619), making them a team that could shake up the race at any time.
Narrowing down to May, the top spot is still in the hands of three teams. LG leads the monthly winning percentage with a 15-1-5 record (0.750) in May, followed by SSG (13-1-7-0.650) and Lotte (12-8-0.600) in second and third place, respectively.
So, how do the managers who have been at the forefront of the competition view the current situation?
LG head coach Yeom Kyung-yeop experienced the race for the top spot in 2019 with SK (now SSG).
Although they lost the top spot in the regular season to the Doosan Bears at the end of the season, they set a dominant pace and widened the gap significantly by the middle of the season. 안전놀이터
For now, Yeom doesn’t care about the current standings. “In May, my goal is to accumulate as many wins as I can with the strength I have without pushing myself too hard,” he said, adding, “Right now, I’m more interested in accumulating a few more pluses (in terms of win-loss margin) than fighting for the standings.”
Especially at the beginning of the season, it was difficult to have a ‘complete team’ due to a series of injuries. “We need to accumulate a lot of positives so that we can have a cushion when we’re not good,” said Yeom. “You can’t be good all year long while racing in the regular season. Baseball is a game of flow and luck plays a role, but our flow is not bad right now, so at times like this, we need to keep our guard up and win even one more game to have the strength to survive.”