This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy KBO series.
Samsung Lions (43-50-1) at Kiwoom Heroes (58-40)
Sunday, August 30th, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Ben Lively (2-6, 5.36 ERA) vs RHP Jake Brigham (4-2, 3.62 ERA)
Game Preview
Sunday's contest between the Heroes and the Lions will be a game between two franchises that are currently moving in opposite directions. While the Heroes are very much alive in the race for the KBO title after a remarkable rise over the last few weeks, the Lions have been struggling in terms of consistency and are already thinking about what's going to happen in 2021. The pitching matchup also gives the Heroes the edge, as Jake Brigham has far better numbers than Ben Lively, who has been a massive disappointment, in this duel between two foreign arms.
Injuries
Kiwoom Heroes
Woo Jin Ahn - 10-Day IL - Back
8/24 11:34 AM IST - Ahn will miss two weeks due to a sprained back, per SPOTV News. The 20-year-old suffered the injury after throwing an inning during last Saturday's matchup against Kia. Besides two four-run outings, Ahn has not surrendered any runs through 23 games this season.
Won Tae Choi - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/26 4:01 AM IST - Choi is expected to miss about two weeks while he deals with right shoulder inflammation, Soo-Jin Park of the Money Today Star News reports. Based on that timeline, Choi will likely remain sidelined for the Heroes until around mid-September. Over his 17 starts on the season, the right-hander has
Samsung Lions (43-50-1) at Kiwoom Heroes (58-40)
Sunday, August 30th, 4:00 AM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Ben Lively (2-6, 5.36 ERA) vs RHP Jake Brigham (4-2, 3.62 ERA)
Game Preview
Sunday's contest between the Heroes and the Lions will be a game between two franchises that are currently moving in opposite directions. While the Heroes are very much alive in the race for the KBO title after a remarkable rise over the last few weeks, the Lions have been struggling in terms of consistency and are already thinking about what's going to happen in 2021. The pitching matchup also gives the Heroes the edge, as Jake Brigham has far better numbers than Ben Lively, who has been a massive disappointment, in this duel between two foreign arms.
Injuries
Kiwoom Heroes
Woo Jin Ahn - 10-Day IL - Back
8/24 11:34 AM IST - Ahn will miss two weeks due to a sprained back, per SPOTV News. The 20-year-old suffered the injury after throwing an inning during last Saturday's matchup against Kia. Besides two four-run outings, Ahn has not surrendered any runs through 23 games this season.
Won Tae Choi - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/26 4:01 AM IST - Choi is expected to miss about two weeks while he deals with right shoulder inflammation, Soo-Jin Park of the Money Today Star News reports. Based on that timeline, Choi will likely remain sidelined for the Heroes until around mid-September. Over his 17 starts on the season, the right-hander has posted a 5.20 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 58 strikeouts over 90 innings.
Eric Jokisch - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/24 11:07 AM IST - Jokisch will miss at least two weeks due to a shoulder injury, per SPOTV News. The southpaw reportedly suffered another setback throwing pitches during practice. Jokisch will have to rest about two weeks before even grabbing a ball, putting Kiwoom's chances of first place at risk.
Seung Ho Lee - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/26 9:33 PM IST - Lee was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a shoulder injury, according to chosun.com. It does not appear Lee will be out long, but he will miss a start or two, which will put more pressure on a Kiwoom bullpen that was already covering for two other injured starting pitchers.
Byung Wook Lim - Out - Hamstring
8/20 10:28 PM IST - Lim is expected to miss about eight weeks after suffering his second hamstring injury of the season Tuesday, per SPOTV News. Lim returned to action Tuesday after missing over three months with a hamstring injury, and in a stroke of unfortunate luck, he suffered a different hamstring injury and is now facing another lengthy absence -- one that could cost him the rest of the season. Expect Joon Tae Park to continue holding down the center-field duties for the Heroes.
Sung Hyun Moon - Out - Elbow
7/31 3:15 AM IST - Moon hasn't pitched for the Heroes since July 16 due to inflammation in his right elbow, Soo-jin Park of the Money Today Star News reports. Moon is expected to rest up for a few more days before starting a throwing program. The 29-year-old is expected to fill a bullpen role for the Heroes once healthy after posting a 4.20 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 13:11 K:BB over 15 innings prior to being shut down.
Ju Won Oh - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed
8/28 2:36 AM IST - The Heroes placed Oh on the injured list Thursday due to muscle pain, Soo Jin Park of the Money Today Star News reports. The reliever likely picked up the injury during his appearance in Wednesday's game against the Wiz. On the season, the 35-year-old lefty has posted a 7.15 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over 11.1 innings.
Byung Ho Park - 10-Day IL - Finger
8/26 3:33 PM IST - Park will miss around three weeks because of a fractured left finger, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The slugger sat out five games with what was perceived as an unfortunate wrist injury. However, a CT scan Wednesday revealed the fractured left finger that could affect Kiwoom's chances of finishing first place.
Joon Tae Park - 10-Day IL - Ankle
8/27 10:05 PM IST - Park was placed on the injured list Thursday with an ankle injury, according to chosun.com. Park has not taken the field since colliding with teammate Addison Russell on Sunday, and it turns out he will need a few more days to recover. He could return to action at some point in the middle of next week.
Samsung Lions
Jung Hyun Baek - Out - Elbow
7/23 1:53 AM IST - Samsung removed Baek from its active roster Wednesday due to a left elbow sprain, Hyun-Seok Jeong of The Chosun Ilbo reports. The southpaw picked up the injury coming out of his start Tuesday, during which he surrendered five runs on nine hits over 5.1 innings. Seong Hwan Yoon is expected to assume Baek's spot in the rotation.
Young Jin Choi - Out - Ankle
7/28 2:51 AM IST - Choi will miss about six weeks with an ankle injury, according to chosun.com. Choi was diagnosed with ligament damage after leaving Sunday's game with the injury, and he is now facing an extended absence. Choi has been one of the Lions' top hitters against lefties this season, but the team will need to turn elsewhere against southpaws until he is ready to return.
Yoon Dong Heo - Out - Not Injury Related
8/27 9:47 PM IST - Heo was removed from the Lions' roster Thursday, according to the team's official Twitter account. Heo was called up to start Wednesday's game, but he was not sharp, so the team decided to send him back down for the time being.
Heon Gon Kim - Day-To-Day - Shoulder
8/27 10:17 PM IST - Kim left Thursday's game against the Eagles with a sore left shoulder, according to chosun.com. Kim was injured attempting to steal second base in the second inning. He was able to play one more inning in the field and is not expected to need a follow-up exam, so he may avoid missing any further action.
Hak Ju Lee - Out - Not Injury Related
8/24 9:44 PM IST - Lee was removed from the Lions' roster Monday, according to OSEN. Lee rejoined Samsung's first team last week after spending time in the minors, but he went hitless in eight at-bats over three games, so the Lions sent him back down to continue working on his swing.
Sung Hwan Yoon - Out - Not Injury Related
8/21 10:58 PM IST - Yoon surrendered four runs on two hits and three walks through 1.2 innings in Friday's 8-6 loss to SK. He hit two batters. Yoon pitched his shortest game of 2020 by throwing 41 pitches and netting only five outs. A late Samsung lead prevented the loss, but he remains winless with a displeasing 1.61 WHIP and 5.3 BB/9 across five starts.
Kiwoom Heroes Expected Lineup
SP - Jake Brigham
2. Ha Seong Kim
3. Jung Hoo Lee
8. Hye Sung Kim
Samsung Lions Expected Lineup
SP - Ben Lively
1. Sang Su Kim
2. Hae Min Park
3. Ja Wook Koo
4. Daniel Palka
5. Won Seok Lee
7. Min Ho Kang
8. Ji Chan Kim
Top Picks From Each Team
Jung Hoo Lee, Heroes: Lee has been the best player for the Heroes this season, and the veteran slugger is one of the biggest reasons why Kiwoom has played at such a high level over the last few weeks. He owns a .323/.379/.495 slash line with a .873 OPS, two homers and 17 RBI this month. The scariest part is that is a tick below average of what he's done all season.
Hae Min Park, Lions: Park is riding a four-game hitting streak and has hit safely in six of the team's last seven games. He has seen the ball well during the entire month of August, however, as he's hitting .348 with a .866 OPS, two homers, 10 RBI and 15 runs scored since Aug. 1.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Jake Brigham
C – Min Ho Kang
IF – Addison Russell (VC)
IF – Ha Seong Kim
IF – Keon Chang Seo
IF – Ji Chan Kim
OF – Daniel Palka
OF – Jung Hoo Lee (C)
OF – Hae Min Park
