This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
SK Wyverns (32-68-1) at Doosan Bears (54-43-3)
Sunday, September 6th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Won Seok Oh (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs LHP Duk Joo Ham (3-1, 3.72 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears defeated the Wyverns 5-1 on Saturday, and that is the best example of how far these two teams are in terms of quality. The Bears enter Sunday's slate with in fourth place of the standings and are 5.0 games away from first place, but appear to be a lock for a spot in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Wyverns are in ninth place and only the Hanwha Eagles have posted worst numbers across the board. SK have won just 32 games this season and are 1-9 in their last 10 contests. To make things even more complicated, the Wyverns will send a debutant to the mound in Won Seok Oh, who was drafted this year and is in line to make his first career KBO start. The Bears will counter with Duk Joo Ham, who has a 3.72 ERA in 2020.
Injuries
Doosan Bears
Sang Ho Chung - 10-Day IL - Hand
8/20 10:50 PM IST - Chung was removed from Thursday's game against the Giants with a bruised left hand, according to OSEN. Chung was struck on the hand while catching in the third inning and was unable to continue. It remains to be seen if the injury will cost him more time.
Chris Flexen - Out - Foot
8/17 10:03 PM IST
SK Wyverns (32-68-1) at Doosan Bears (54-43-3)
Sunday, September 6th, 1:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
LHP Won Seok Oh (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs LHP Duk Joo Ham (3-1, 3.72 ERA)
Game Preview
The Bears defeated the Wyverns 5-1 on Saturday, and that is the best example of how far these two teams are in terms of quality. The Bears enter Sunday's slate with in fourth place of the standings and are 5.0 games away from first place, but appear to be a lock for a spot in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Wyverns are in ninth place and only the Hanwha Eagles have posted worst numbers across the board. SK have won just 32 games this season and are 1-9 in their last 10 contests. To make things even more complicated, the Wyverns will send a debutant to the mound in Won Seok Oh, who was drafted this year and is in line to make his first career KBO start. The Bears will counter with Duk Joo Ham, who has a 3.72 ERA in 2020.
Injuries
Doosan Bears
Sang Ho Chung - 10-Day IL - Hand
8/20 10:50 PM IST - Chung was removed from Thursday's game against the Giants with a bruised left hand, according to OSEN. Chung was struck on the hand while catching in the third inning and was unable to continue. It remains to be seen if the injury will cost him more time.
Chris Flexen - Out - Foot
8/17 10:03 PM IST - Flexen (foot) is not expected to pitch again until September at the earliest, according to chosun.com. Flexen continues to work his way back from a broken foot, and it looks like he still has several steps to go in his recovery.
Yong Chan Lee - Out - Elbow
6/4 2:49 PM IST - Lee will undergo Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss at least a year, Daniel Kim of DKTV reports. Lee has started regularly for Doosan since 2018, but his 2020 season will come to an early and abrupt end as a result of his elbow injury. It remains to be seen who will enter the rotation in Lee's place, as the Giants have only needed five starting pitchers to date.
Jae Won Oh - 10-Day IL - Back
8/19 10:13 PM IST - Oh is dealing with a sore back and will undergo tests to determine the extent of his injury, according to Ik Rae Choi of The Dong-A Ilbo. The extent of Oh's injury is not yet known, but the Bears figure to release an update on his status after he is checked out by doctors.
Chi Guk Park - Out - Undisclosed
7/22 12:09 AM IST - Park is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Heroes, according to chosun.com. Park allowed just one earned run over his last 18.1 innings (0.49 ERA) out of the bullpen, so manager Tae Hyoung Kim decided to turn to him to fill the opening in the Bears' rotation. While Park has pitched in relief all season, he did go four innings in his last outing, so he should have enough in the tank to qualify for a win if he continues throwing well.
SK Wyverns
Jae Hoon Ha - Out - Shoulder
8/10 4:56 PM IST - Ha will miss two months with an injury to his right shoulder, In Ha Kwon of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The reigning saves champion suffered another setback during a relief appearance for SK's Futures League team Friday. He now needs two more months to recover despite being on the verge of returning from an undisclosed injury. Ha's season is likely over, with a 7.62 ERA and just four saves this year.
Jin Gi Jeong - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed
6/16 3:31 PM IST - Jeong is not in Tuesday's lineup versus KT, MyKBOStats.com reports. The 27-year-old will be left out as the Wyverns rotate their outfield once more. Jeong hit .156 through the first two weeks of June.
Ji Kwang Kang - Out - Shoulder
6/15 2:22 PM IST - Kang, who has alternated between position player and relief pitcher the last few seasons, will resume pitching in Futures League games Wednesday, Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV reports. Kang converted from pitcher to hitter when he was drafted in 2009, per the Yonhap News Agency, but he never saw much action as a hitter and gave pitching another shot a couple years ago. The move appeared to be a good one, as he allowed just three earned runs in 16.1 innings (1.65 ERA) over his final 15 appearances last season. However, he was plagued by shoulder soreness that sidelined him after mid-June and entered this season as a hitter again. He is now feeling good enough to give pitching another shot, and if all goes well he could be a factor out of the Wyverns' bullpen at some point soon.
Chang Pyung Kim - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
7/8 10:43 PM IST - Kim (shoulder) is playing in Futures League games, according to Tae Woo Kim of SPOTV. Kim did not return in late June as expected, but considering he's at least seeing game action, it shouldn't be long until he is deemed ready to rejoin SK's top club.
Tyler White - Out - Finger
8/26 1:59 PM IST - White was diagnosed Tuesday with a fractured right index finger, Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports. He's expected to miss three weeks while recovering from the injury. The ex-MLB player suffered the untimely injury after he was struck in the hand by a pitch from Giants right-hander Adrian Sampson on Tuesday. After signing with the Wyverns and completing a quarantine period, White debuted for SK on Aug. 23 and played just two games before going down with the injury.
Doosan Bears Expected Lineup
SP - Duk Joo Ham
1. Kun Woo Park
3. Jae Il Oh
4. Jae Hwan Kim
7. Soo Bin Jung
8. Jae Ho Kim
9. Se Hyuk Park
SK Wyverns Expected Lineup
SP - Won Seok Oh
1. Ji Hoon Choi
2. Tae Gon Oh
3. Jeong Choi
5. Jamie Romak
6. Dong Min Han
7. Hang Choi
8. Jae Won Lee
Top Picks From Each Team
Jose Fernandez, Bears: Fernandez went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Wyverns. Fernandez mustered a bases-loaded single that plated one run in the bottom of the fifth inning, and that would be everything he'd contribute to the game offensively. However, the star slugger extended his hitting streak to five games and has also reached base safely in 12 straight contests, hitting .389 with a .978 OPS across that span.
Jeong Choi, Wyverns: Choi has posted three straight hitless games, but he remains the team's most reliable offensive threat on a regular basis despite hitting just .219 with a .792 OPS since the start of August. He has just six hits in his last 10 contests.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Duk Joo Ham
C – Jae Won Lee
IF – Jeong Choi
IF – Jae Il Oh
IF – Jose Fernandez (C)
OF – Kun Woo Park (VC)
OF – Jae Hwan Kim
OF – In Tae Kim
OF – Jae Hyun Kim
