From ‘intermittent’ wins to ‘last place grand slam’ mockery…where does Samsung go from here [SS Focus]?

바카라There are a lot of matches where you think, ‘I can’t lose like this. This is the fifth consecutive losing series. I win ‘intermittently’. It’s not a long losing streak, but like last year when I lost 13 games in a row, something is not right. It’s a strange twist.

Samsung won 5-1 in the second game of the Classic Series against Lotte in the 2023 KBO League regular season at Sajik Stadium on the 28th, but lost 6-9.

It was a shocker. Starter Albert Suarez took the loss, throwing 113 pitches in 5.2 innings, allowing eight runs (three earned) on nine hits with one walk and one strikeout. He gave up five runs, all unearned, in the fifth inning, especially the four unearned runs in the fourth. The inning was going to be a long one, and it took until the sixth inning.

The bats came out strong. Nine hits and four walks is not bad. We scored six runs, but it was another case of ‘incomplete combustion’. The pattern of scoring early runs and then falling silent in the middle and late innings continued today.

The 27th game was also disappointing. Won Tae-in pitched eight innings of six-hit ball (one home run), no walks, four strikeouts and two runs. The only two runs came in the bottom of the first inning when he gave up a two-run homer to Jack Rex.

The Tigers scored a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Oh Jae-il and a two-run homer by Lee Jae-hyun in the seventh to make it 3-2. However, left-hander Lee Seung-hyun faltered badly in the ninth and gave up three runs in a 3-5 loss. It seems to have carried over to the 28th game.

Another reverse loss. June has been particularly bad. In the two months of April and May, we played 46 games and lost 10 upsets. In June alone, it’s 10 times in 24 games. That’s an oddly poor record.

The gap to ninth-placed Hanwha was now four games. Before the season, one commentator said, “Samsung is weaker than we thought. They could fall to the bottom of the table.” The season isn’t over, but that’s exactly what happened. Samsung fans can bemoan this. Samsung fans lamented that Hanwha, who had been in last place for years, was coming from Samsung. “This is what it feels like,” they say.

In the end, there’s nothing Samsung can do but change. There is an immediate urgency. It is important to create a ‘winning streak’. The last five consecutive losing series. The last win was a two-game sweep against Lotte on 10-11 October. In their last 14 games, they’ve lost five straight, won five straight, lost five straight, won two straight, and lost two straight. We need to win back-to-back games to lift our spirits.

There are encouraging signs. Oh Jae-il has returned to the first team after an extreme slump and has produced back-to-back RBIs. The bats of younger players such as Ryu Seung-min and Cho Min-sung are also cooling off. The bullpen is also better resourced with the return of Oh Seung-hwan and Woo Kyu-min.

It wouldn’t hurt to have a team meeting, or even a dinner party, led by the veterans, including captain Oh Jae-il. It’s important to create an atmosphere. It’s good for the coaching staff to lead, but sometimes it’s more effective when the older guys step up.

It’s not a direct comparison, but during the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), the Japanese team organised an all-team dinner, led by Darvish Yu. They even posted pictures on social media to let the outside world know about it. It’s not something to criticise as “drinking”. There’s nothing wrong with it, as long as you see it as a way to unite to do better.

Both bats are unbalanced. The team’s 4.77 ERA is the worst in the league, and the team’s .252 batting average is ninth. At least the starting rotation is getting back on track. The bullpen is in shambles. The bats are struggling.

They should be aggressively pursuing trades. The key is, of course, catcher. It’s not a requirement, but the commander in chief has already spoken publicly about trading. He actually pushed for it. It wasn’t easy to get it done.

It’s the Catcher’s Kingdom. The strengths of the three catchers are clear. But it’s also good to do what you can to bolster your power. It’s July. Time may not be on Samsung’s side.

Samsung has never finished last in a season since its inception. Every team has finished last at one time or another, but never like Samsung. They’ve been a powerhouse for a long time, finishing at least ninth even in their darkest days. This season, that record is in danger of being broken.

There’s still half a season left. It’s not time to give up on everything. There is a bad mood, that’s for sure. We have to break it. Football, basketball, volleyball, and even baseball are being mockingly referred to as Samsung Sports’ ‘last grand slam’. There is nothing good that can come out of this.

They’re having one game after another where they don’t seem to be able to do anything. That was the case last year when they lost 13 games in a row. On the flip side, opponents are confident when they face Samsung. They had a glorious dynasty, but that’s all in the past. They’re nothing more than a bottom-of-the-table team now.