The Doosan Bears and Kia Tigers are set to face off in what is expected to be a bloody showdown for a postseason berth.
Doosan and KIA were scheduled to face off in the 12th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League season at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Friday, but the game was canceled due to unexpected rain.
Currently, Doosan and Kia are in a tight race for the fifth spot. Shortly after the All-Star break, Doosan was riding a franchise-record winning streak, boosting their chances of a top-five finish. At the same time, Kia wasn’t even guaranteed to make the postseason. However, the moods of the two teams are completely opposite right now.
While Doosan has been on a downward spiral, KIA has been on an upward curve, and their fortunes have begun to diverge. KIA, in particular, has been on a roll lately, winning eight straight games. Their ‘momentum’ is so high that even if the mound is shaky, they can turn the tide of the game at any time with their hot bats. Doosan, on the other hand, broke out of their losing streak, but split their two-game series with Lotte.
Everything has to be taken with a grain of salt, but today’s game was crucial for both teams. Kia had a chance to close the gap on Doosan, and conversely, Doosan had a chance to knock Kia out of the top five if they took all three games. However, there was an unexpected twist. The rain suddenly started pouring down on Jamsil Stadium just before the start of the game.
The sky was dry as a bone. Rain clouds began to form in the vicinity of Jamsil Stadium, and with less than an hour to go before kickoff, it started to rain. The rain, which seemed to stop as soon as it started, didn’t stop after 6:30 p.m. The KBO delayed the start of the game to monitor the situation, but eventually decided that the game could not be played and called it off.
Despite the rain, both teams had something to smile about on the day. KIA had to start Hwang Dong-ha with Mario Sanchez out due to injury, while Doosan had to play a nine-game series, including a doubleheader, after their game against the Lotte Giants was canceled last weekend. The game was rained out, giving Kia the opportunity to use a non-starter on the mound, while Doosan was able to take a day off after playing on Monday 토토사이트.
Meanwhile, the Jamsil KIA-Dusan game, which was not designated as a ‘reserve day’, was decided to be ‘organized at a later date’. As a result, the two teams will meet on October 10 or later.