Baseball standings turn upside down as first half closes

SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- A non-playoff team from last season ended the first half this season in first place. A perennial contender that has played in the last four postseasons is trying to get to .500. And the team that won three of the last four titles is stuck in third place.
Such has been the topsy-turvy nature of the first half in the 2011 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season. Eight clubs vie for four playoff spots each season over 133 regular season matches, and so far this year, two clubs that didn't make the playoffs in 2010 are among the top four.
The Kia Tigers sit in first place with 52 wins and 35 losses, as the league takes a respite with the All-Star festivities this weekend. They're two games ahead of the Samsung Lions, the runner-up last year. The Tigers, the 2009 champ and the all-time KBO leader with 10 championships, missed out on the playoffs a year ago.
The SK Wyverns, the defending champ who also won titles in 2007 and 2008, trail the Tigers by 4.5 games. Injuries and sub-par seasons by regulars, including former MVP pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun, have put their pursuit of another championship in jeopardy.
The LG Twins are hanging on to the fourth spot with an even 41-41 record. They're seeking their first playoff appearance since 2002.



On the flip side, the Doosan Bears could see their streak of four straight playoff appearances snapped this year. At 34-41 with two draws, the Bears are 3.5 games back of LG in sixth place. After a decent start, the Bears won just seven of 25 games in May, and manager Kim Kyung-moon resigned in June.
The Lotte Giants trail the Twins by 1.5 games and are in fifth place in their first season under new manager Yang Seung-ho. The Giants are gunning for their fourth straight playoff berth. Reigning MVP Lee Dae-ho is once again putting up impressive numbers, as the league leader in home runs (20), hits (107) and slugging percentage (.588).
Two bottom feeders, the Hanwha Eagles and Nexen Heroes, haven't changed from a year ago and are unlikely to challenge for a playoff spot.
Monsoon rains throughout June and July have affected the schedule, and canceled games that will be rescheduled in September could alter the pennant race late in the season.
The Tigers have played 87 games, the most so far, out of 133 scheduled matches. The Wyverns, though, have had 19 games rained out, and have played only 76 matches, the fewest among KBO clubs.
With that many games on hand, SK manager Kim Sung-keun said his club can still make a run.
"We will put everything on the line in September, when Kim Kwang-hyun should bounce back (from his early season woes)," the manager said.
The Tigers, though, could be tough to catch if their star pitchers and hitters keep producing the way they did in the first half.
Starter Yoon Seok-min picked up his league-leading 12th win on Thursday, and enters the All-Star break as the leader in pitching triple crown categories. He is also No. 1 in earned run average (ERA) with 2.53 and in strikeouts with 114 in 113 2/3 innings.
"I have better command of my pitches than last year and I've developed more confidence," Yoon said after the game. "More than anything, I've had great help from our hitters. I would like to thank them."
Indeed, the Tigers have given Yoon and other pitchers plenty of run support, having scored the most runs (438) and hit the most home runs (69).
Leadoff man Lee Yong-kyu leads the KBO with a .373 average and .458 on-base percentage. When he's on base, Lee Beom-ho usually drives him home. The third baseman is No. 1 in runs batted in (RBI) with 73 and third with 17 home runs.
With a tight playoff race attracting fans, the KBO is on pace to set the best single-season attendance mark.
The league said about 4.2 million fans have gone to ballparks in the first half, an increase of nearly 600,000 from a year ago. The all-time mark is 5.92 million fans set in 2010, and the KBO has set its sight on 6.63 million fans for this year.
The Tigers have enjoyed a 38-percent increase at the gate, thanks to their title run.
KBO clubs are based in metropolitan cities across the country, with three in Seoul. All are owned and operated by private corporations, including major conglomerates such as Samsung, SK and LG.
The KBO will resume next Tuesday.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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