INCHEON, In a highly unusual turn of events Monday, managers competing in the South Korean baseball postseason announced their starting pitchers for the third game of their series before the second game even began.
SSG Landers manager Kim Won-hyong said left-hander Oh Won-seok will take the ball Wednesday in Game 3 of the best-of-five first round series against the NC Dinos. Kim made the announced during his pregame media scrum before Game 2 at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, west of Seoul.
About an hour later, Dinos manager Kang In-kwon announced Erick Fedde as his Game 3 starter.
Managers typically announced starters for the next game after the conclusion of the game at hand. But different circumstances forced both skippers this time to reveal their starters.
With the Landers having dropped Game 1 on Sunday, Kim was discussing his rotation plans for the rest of the series when he let on that Oh would start Game 3.
Oh, 22, pitched well in last year’s Korean Series to help the Landers win the championship over the Kiwoom Heroes, an experience that Kim said he valued.
Oh went 2-2 with a 4.98 ERA across 21 2/3 innings in four regular season starts against the Dinos this year.
Kang was all but forced to concede what had been a foregone conclusion — that Fedde would start Game 3.
Fedde won the pitching Triple Crown this year by leading the Korea Baseball Organization in wins, ERA and strikeouts. But in his final regular season start last Monday, Fedde took a batted ball to his right forearm.
In this file photo from Aug. 17, 2023, SSG Landers starter Oh Won-seok pitches against the Lotte Giants during a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in the southeastern city of Busan. (Yonhap)
“We can’t push his start back any further,” Kang said. “He’s not quite 100 percent yet, and he doesn’t seem entirely sure of himself at this point. But even at less than 100 percent, I am sure he will come through for us as our ace.”
Fedde was a perfect 2-0 in two starts against the Landers in the regular season, with 10 strikeouts against three walks in 13 innings.
Source: Yonhap News Agency