There are two teams that are keeping a close eye on the Kiwoom Heroes’ results these days. The 8th-ranked Hanwha Eagles and the 9th-ranked Samsung Lions. This has been the case since the mid-to-late first half of the season, when the Heroes were faltering, but after giving up on fall baseball, Heroes phobia set in. It’s the fear of being overtaken by the Heroes and finishing last.

Hanwha, which finished last for three consecutive years until last year, and Samsung, which hasn’t finished last since its inception in 1982, are in a similar situation. They fear last place this year more than any other year.

In fact, both teams have been worse than the Heroes in recent years. In the last seven years, Hanwha and Samsung have each finished ahead of the Heroes in one season. That was in 2018, when Hanwha made the postseason for the first time in 11 years, and in 2021, when Samsung finished third in the pennant race.

The Heroes had the edge over the other two teams because of their ability to recruit players and play baseball well. As a corporate team with a strong parent company, it’s an embarrassment of riches.

Hanwha, which has been in the doldrums for a long time, has been confused about its direction. Samsung tried to find a new path by moving away from prioritizing grades, but it didn’t lead to results. The two teams had a temporary, albeit brief, run. There were also some promising youngsters who could light up the future.

However, in the Korean reality, no team is immune from the blame for their immediate underperformance. Especially not if they finish last behind the strategically-chosen Heroes, who are missing their core lineup of two-hitters.

No strangers to last place, Hanwha used this year as the start of a rebirth. Four years in a row of last place is not acceptable.

Difficult. Even if the interest of the group’s top brass has cooled, a first-ever last-place finish would cross a threshold.

In last year’s Korean Series, the Heroes performed well against the SSG Landers. They injected tension into a series that was virtually decided.

With top pitcher Ahn Woo-jin and top hitter Lee Jung-hoo in their arms, the Heroes aimed to win the title this season, unusually signing outside free agents to add strength. With Lee Jeong-hoo planning to play in the major leagues after the season, the team thought they could win their first title.

It didn’t work out as planned or expected. The batting slump was severe. This was coupled with Lee’s extreme slump. Even Lee Jeong-hoo, who had picked up the pace, was out for the season due to injury. We thought we had filled the gap, but it turned out to be a different picture.

Realizing the difficulty of fighting for the top five, the Heroes made a quick switch. They traded their main starting pitcher Choi Won-tae to the LG Twins. They received two top pitching prospects and a rookie. They prepared for next season in a way never seen before in the KBO.

After the season-ending Choi Won-tae trade, the Heroes hit rock bottom. They lost nine straight games from late July to early August. After breaking the nine-game losing streak, they lost another four in a row. They won one game in 14 games during this period. This was somewhat expected.

But the Heroes have a different DNA than the other nine teams. They may have fallen to the bottom of the standings, but that’s nothing to sneeze at.

After a downward spiral, the Heroes sent the Lotte Giants into a “meltdown” last weekend. They surprised Hanwha and Samsung with a three-game sweep. Hanwha took two of three from the KT Wiz, and Samsung took two of three from the KIA Tigers.메이저사이트

As of the 21st, Hanwha leads the Heroes by 2.5 games and Samsung by 1.5 games. Hanwha has 41 games, Samsung has 38 games, and the Heroes have 31 games remaining.