Two end-of-season games where one side has something real to play for and the other doesn't. KT are chasing the KBO regular-season title and send out a starter in the best form of his year against a Lotte side that's out of the race. In Yokohama, the BayStars need their final game for playoff seeding, while Hanshin come in the day after clinching the pennant. Both picks turn on that gap in urgency, backed by who is actually on the mound.
KT beat Lotte 5-0 behind a Go Young-pyo shutout and cut their magic number to 4. Samsung kept winning too, so KT can't ease off, and Go has said he's ready to come out of the bullpen to help close it out. Lotte sit 8th and are only playing for Victor Reyes' 200-hit chase.
The pitching matchup is what makes the margin believable. Bae Je-seong has been excellent in September: 3 runs in 27 1/3 innings over five starts, including two 6-inning scoreless outings. Na Gyun-an went into his last start 6-10 with a 4.24 ERA and lost it. KT have beaten Lotte by at least three runs in each of their last four meetings, including a 5-2 win in September with Na on the mound. Reyes is 0-for-2 against Bae this year.
Over in the Central League, Hanshin wrapped up back-to-back pennants and now play away the very next day. Last year their manager rested regulars once the title was secure. Their starter, Masashi Itoh, is making his first start against Yokohama in about a year.
Yokohama finished third, and the stakes in their finale are concrete: lose, and Hanshin would start a possible CS Final two wins up. Manager Aikawa is already talking about getting revenge at Koshien. Hanshin took three of four in late September, but that was while the title was still undecided, and this is a very different game.
