KIA Tigers won the regular season title and went straight to the Korean Series.
KIA lost 0-2 to SSG in the 2024 KBO League at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 17th, but Samsung lost to Doosan in the Samsung-Doosan match in Jamsil at the same time, confirming its regular season championship with seven remaining games.
It is the team's seventh regular season championship in seven years since 2017.
Pitcher James Nail (31), one of the contributors who led KIA to the regular season, expressed his feelings about winning the championship through the club immediately after confirming the championship on the 17th.
Nail said, "I'm really proud of our team, and I'm also really proud of the fact that I'm a part of this team. Although luck is necessary to win, luck cannot be the only way to win. The fruits we've gained today are proof that every member of our team has worked hard for one goal so far."
"We had some difficult situations, but we kept the crisis to a minimum. And we showed amazing concentration in the big game and led the team to victory. Our No. 1 ranking today is no surprise. All the players and staff have worked so hard and we all deserve to be No. 1," Nail said.
Nail is currently undergoing rehabilitation after jaw joint surgery, and it is uncertain whether she will play in the Korean Series. However, Nail's will was firm.
"From the moment I signed with Kia, I imagined taking the mound in the Korean Series. We are a team that has won 11 Korean Series titles without losing a single time. I thought it was well worth playing for this team, and I have imagined that I would also be the main player," Nail said.
"I've won the Minor League (Double A) for two consecutive years from 2016 to 2017, but if I win the Korean Series this time, I'll have no better experience in my baseball life than this. I can't stand in front of my fans because I'm recovering from my injury, but I'll faithfully play the schedule set by the club until the series and prepare well to stand on the stage of glory," he said. 메이저사이트
Kia Tigers coach Lee Bum-ho also vowed to stage an all-out war. "We will let all the players who are eligible to return to the Korean Series play," Lee said, hinting that if Yoon completes his rehabilitation smoothly, he will be included in the Korean Series entry.