(LEAD) Seoul rivals going toe-to-toe to begin KBO postseason this week
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- Two bitter rivals who share a soon-to-be-torn-down Se...
Two fierce rivals, the LG Twins and Doosan Bears, will face off in the first game of the South Korean baseball postseason this week. The wild card round, introduced in 2015, will begin at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. with the Twins hosting the Bears. The winner will advance to the next round, while the loser will have a chance to secure a victory or a tie on Thursday.
The Tigers, currently seeded fourth, will field former major league pitcher Carlos Carrasco, while the Bears, seeded fifth, will rely on ace Gwak Been, who has a 2.24 ERA and 197 strikeouts this season. This will be the seventh postseason matchup between the clubs, with the Twins leading the season series 11-5. However, the Twins have struggled in the postseason after finishing fourth place in the regular season due to injury setbacks.
The Bears, on the other hand, have maintained their fifth-place standing and have focused on setting their rotation and resting bullpen pitchers for the wild card games. While both teams struggle offensively, the Tigers boast a powerful hitter in Austin Dean, who hit 41 home runs and posted the league's highest on-base plus slugging (OPS) of 1.062. The Bears had the second-most steals with 117, but their bullpen ERA of 3.86 is the best in the league.
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