The rainout that pushed this KBO playoff opener back a day did something odd: it gave both managers a speech about rest, and they both said it doesn't matter. Park Jin-man doesn't think the extra day helps KIA, and Lee Beom-ho says one day more or less won't change his hitters. My question is where the day does matter, because Samsung's problem looks like the back of the bullpen, not the legs.
Samsung's side first. Per Herald Corp, closer Kim Jae-yoon (35 saves) was taken off the playoff roster after an MRI found a right serratus anterior injury, and lefties Baek Jung-hyun and Lee Seung-hyun are off too, leaving Lee Seung-min and Bae Chan-seung as the only left-handed relievers. Park says he won't name a new closer and will go by game situation and the opposing order. That is a flexible plan, but it asks him to make late-inning calls without a set pecking order. Koo Ja-wook is also on the roster, but per STN News he is not 100% running, so he is a bat only, and per Hankook Ilbo that pushed Choi Hyung-woo to a pinch-hitting role for defensive reasons.
KIA's side. Topstar News expects Lee Eui-lee and Kwak Do-gyu to be used against lefty hitters and Jeon Sang-hyun to take the ninth; Jeon had two four-out saves against LG in the semi-playoff. In our records KIA closed that round hot, winning the last four against LG by 4-2, 5-1, 6-3 and 13-1, while Samsung's last ten games were 4 wins and 6 losses, with the final stretch before the playoff mostly losses (3-12 and 2-4 against KT). The regular-season meetings were close: KIA won 4-5 in Samsung's park on 6 Oct, and the 10 recorded meetings split 5-5.
So the thing I'd watch is the sixth to ninth innings, not the starters. If the game is close late, KIA has a named plan and Samsung has a flexible one, and that is a real difference in how each manager can use the bench. If Samsung's starter goes deep, none of this matters. The forecast cited by Jeonnam Ilbo says the game should go ahead, with gusty wind noted nationally but no Daegu figure, so I'd keep an eye on that too.
What do you think a manager should do with no closer: set a role early, or stay flexible?
