Kia Tigers reliever Sung Yeong-tak (L) high-fives first baseman Patrick Wisdom after their 5-0 win over the KT Wiz in a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 19, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Here come the champions.
With a sluggish start to their title defense now in the rearview mirror, the Kia Tigers are the hottest team in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at the moment.
They have won five straight games, the longest active winning streak, and they have the best record so far in June at 11-6-0 (wins-losses-ties).
Overall, they are 37-33-1, good for fifth place and only 4 1/2 games out of first place.
The Tigers won their 12th Korean Series title last year but got off to a rocky start this year. They hit rock bottom April 12 by falling to last place in the 10-team league at 6-10-0.
After reaching 2-1-0 on March 25, the Tigers did not go back over .500 in winning percentage again until June 4. They fell below the break-even mark again last Friday but have not lost since.
They have been doing all this with several key players out with assorted injuries.
Reigning league MVP Kim Do-yeong has been out since suffering a right hamstring injury on May 27. He had also been sidelined from March 23 to April 24 with a left hamstring problem. Kim has only played 27 of the Tigers’ 71 games this year.
They have also been without slugging outfielder and captain Na Sung-bum and second baseman Kim Sun-bin, the 2024 Korean Series MVP, due to calf injuries. Earlier in the year, the Tigers were also without new first baseman Patrick Wisdom and shortstop Park Chan-ho. Yoon Do-hyun, who was filling in for Kim at second base, recently suffered a broken finger.
On the mound, they have lost reliever Kwak Do-gyu for the season with an elbow injury, while starter Hwang Dong-ha broke his back in May after being struck by a car running a red light.
In recent weeks, reserves thrust into prominent roles have delivered.
Oh Sun-woo, who has been handling first base and outfield duties, has made just two errors in 53 games while batting a solid .288/.354/.463 at the plate. He has already set career highs with seven home runs and 25 RBIs, including a team-best 10 RBIs in June.
Kim Ho-ryung, known for making some spectacular plays in the outfield, is getting a regular opportunity for the first time since 2016. He is not doing much at the plate but is providing value with his glove in center.
Since making his debut on May 20, rookie reliever Sung Yeong-tak has not allowed a run in 15 2/3 straight innings, the longest such streak to begin a career in Tigers history and the fourth-longest one ever in the KBO. He is a key part of the bullpen that has posted the league’s lowest ERA this month at 2.96.
The team’s three foreign players have been enjoying a strong month of June too.
No. 1 starter James Naile has pitched to a 2.50 ERA in three starts this month after recording a 4.75 ERA in May. His new rotation mate, Adam Oller, had a six-inning, 10-strikeout performance Thursday against the KT Wiz, improving to 7-3 for the season with a 3.03 ERA. He leads the Tigers with 11 quality starts — an outing of at least six innings pitched with no more than three earned runs allowed.
Joining the American duo is homegrown right-hander Kim Do-hyeon, who has a 1.93 ERA in June. The Tigers boast the best team ERA in June at 3.07.
After recovering from a back injury, Wisdom is back to his hitting ways. He is batting .317/.397/.600 this month with a team-leading four home runs.
Among the injured players, Kim Do-yeong, Kim Sun-bin and Na are expected back in July. Former staff ace Lee Eui-lee, out since last June with an elbow injury, is scheduled to throw a minor league rehab outing soon and could also return in July.
(Yonhap)
