*This content was translated by AI.
The KIA Tigers, boasting overwhelming power, finally surged to an 8-game winning streak. What is the driving force behind this streak, according to the team's commander?
On the 17th, KIA secured a 7-3 victory over the Doosan Bears in an away game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
With this win, KIA reached 10 wins (7 losses), becoming the fourth team among the 10th clubs this season to achieve this milestone. They leapfrogged the SSG Landers, who had no game on this day, to take sole possession of 4th place. Meanwhile, Doosan finished with 5 wins, 1 draw, and 11 losses, failing to escape 9th place in the league.
Furthermore, this victory marked KIA's first 8-game winning streak in 632 days. Their previous 8-game winning streak ran from the the 14th, 2024, match against Gwangju SSG Landers to the the 24th, 2024, match against Gwangju NC Dinos. Additionally, the longest winning streak in KIA's club history is 12 games. Given their current momentum, challenging this record is certainly feasible.
KIA's upward momentum is no ordinary feat. In fact, the start of this season was not smooth. They suffered two consecutive losses in the opening two-game series against SSG. Subsequently, in the mid-week three-game series against LG, they managed only one win and two losses, ending in a losing series. Similarly, in the weekend three-game series against NC Dinos, KIA again finished with one win and two losses.
The winning streak began with the match against the Samsung Lions on the 8th. They avenged their 3-10 defeat on the 7th with a decisive 15-5 victory. Following a sweep of the three-game away series against Hanwha in Daejeon, they returned home and secured victories in all three home games against the Kiwoom Heroes. Adding today's win against Doosan, they successfully achieved an 8-game winning streak.
Where does this kind of power come from? There was a reason. Commander Lee Beom-ho, KIA's manager, opened up to reporters ahead of the 17th game when asked about the driving force behind their recent winning streak, stating, "The players are truly performing exceptionally well".
Manager Lee remarked, "I am currently making strategic plays and attempting many bunts to secure even a single run. Despite operating differently from the past, the coaching staff is preparing well to match this approach", passing the ball around.
Continuing, Manager Lee praised the players, saying, "I constantly tell the players that they must find a way to score every single run in the game. However, it is extremely important whether they think deeply about this or simply listen and let it go".
The manager added, "The players have understood this well. They are playing with the mindset that they must secure runs one by one to minimize the burden on the pitchers in the later innings. As these efforts accumulate, the players' confidence grows, and scoring runs one by one seems to be a significant boost for the team's victories".
Indeed, the same applied to today's match against Doosan. Even when leading 3-0 in the bottom of the 7th inning, KIA maintained focus and added two more runs. Although Doosan later narrowed the gap to a two-run deficit, KIA managed to add two more runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, ultimately securing a 7-3 victory. How long will KIA's winning streak continue?
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*This content was translated by AI.
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