Doosan Bears interim manager Cho Sung-hwan (R) congratulates reliever Kim Han-jung following the Bears’ 9-0 win over the Lotte Giants in the teams’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, some 320 kilometers south of Seoul, in this July 10, 2025, file photo. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, August 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Conventional wisdom in baseball has it that one-run games, wins or losses, are mostly a matter of luck. Doosan Bears interim manager Cho Sung-hwan, though, isn’t buying it.
His team has the lowest winning percentage in one-run games in this Korea Baseball Organization season at 10-17-0 (wins-losses-ties), and it’s no coincidence that they are ninth among 10 teams overall at 41-53-5.
The Bears have had four losses since the All-Star break two weeks ago and all of them have been by one run each. But Cho refused to blame rotten luck when discussing the matter Friday.
“We just haven’t been able to move the runners over,” Cho said in a media scrum before hosting the SSG Landers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. “Obviously, you have to keep advancing the runners to have a better chance of bringing them home, be it through some decisions from the bench or through individual abilities. We have not been sharp in that area lately and I will stress the importance of moving the runners.”
Cho said at least he has been pleased with the work of his pitchers in those close games.
“I think our pitchers have done their part, but we’ve had trouble scoring runs,” Cho added. “Whenever we face teams higher up in the standings, I find that they have a much easier time scoring than we do. I know it’s easier said than done but if we can get just a little better in that area, we will start playing much better baseball.”
The Bears went 10-8-2 for July, the first month of the season in which they posted a winning percentage of over .500. They did so with rookies and inexperienced youngsters stepping up for a few veterans who were sent down to the minors due to injuries or poor performances.
With the club unlikely to push their way into the postseason picture, Cho has not shied away from giving unproven players extended runs at different positions.
“I have a pretty straightforward philosophy when it comes to building lineups. If you play well today, you will be on the field tomorrow,” Cho said. “Of course, you have to be consistent over a good stretch of time to earn a regular opportunity. We have a bunch of players who are straddling the line between being an everyday player and a backup. I just hope healthy competition will bring out the best in those players.”
(Yonhap)
