The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) were considered the favorite to finish last by experts ahead of the start of the 2024 KBO season.
The team was considered the underdogs due to the departure of top slugger Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) to the Major League Baseball (MLB) and the elbow surgery and enlistment of ace Ahn Woo-jin.
As expected, Kiwoom is in last place this season.
However, the team's record isn't too bad.
Through 21 games, they have 51 wins, 65 losses, and a .440 winning percentage in 116 games. There's not much difference between them and the teams in the middle of the pack.
There are only six games separating them from fifth-place SSG Landers. Mathematically, they still have a chance to make the postseason.
On the 20th, they briefly broke away from the pack by beating the NC Dinos.
Head coach Hong Won-ki lavished praise on his players ahead of their upcoming match against KT WIZ at Katwiz Park in Suwon on Nov. 22.
“Right now, our players are holding their own in their respective positions, squeezing out all their skills,” Hong said.
“We're not giving up (on fall baseball) just yet,” he said, adding, ”We will not give up and do our best until the end of the season for our fans.”
If Kiwoom maintains its current winning percentage and finishes in last place, it will have the second-lowest winning percentage in history (excluding the two major leagues).
The lowest winning percentage team in the history of the KBO, which was founded in 1982, was the Lotte Giants in 2001 with a 0.457 winning percentage.
Only two games separated Lotte and the fourth-place Hanwha Eagles, who made the postseason. 안전놀이터
