Goodbye Bomde’s curse, hello LG’s proof against leaders
Is the so-called ‘Curse of Bomde’ over?
It’s looking increasingly likely that the Lotte Giants will have a successful season. However, the challenge remains to prove themselves against the LG Twins.
Starting on the 30th of this month, Lotte will play a three-game midweek series against first-place LG at Jamsil Stadium. It’s a big matchup, dubbed the “El Rascico”. LG is in first place with 30 wins, one draw and 16 losses (winning percentage of 0.652), while Lotte is in third place with 26 wins and 16 losses (winning percentage of 0.619).
Both teams have two games in hand, so it is unlikely that their positions will change depending on the outcome of the three-game series. From LG’s point of view, a 2-1 win to secure the winners’ series would give them a good chance of retaining the top spot, even overcoming the threat of second-placed SSG Landers. However, if Lotte sweeps the three-game series, the standings between LG and the two teams will be reversed.메이저놀이터
Lotte swept the best-of-three series at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan from 11-13 March, winning two games and losing one. For Lotte, the three-game series will also be about more than just a winning series, rather than looking at the possibility of regaining the lead in the immediate future.
In the long run, Lotte is now a winning team that needs to win more games against the top teams.
It is important to stabilise the bottom teams for a high winning percentage in the future, but at the same time, it is likely to be crucial for the final standings to have an equal or superior performance against the teams near the top of the leaderboard.
The three-game series is also a chance for Lotte to prove its credentials against LG, which is arguably the strongest team in the league this season, and to declare that it has completely shaken off the ‘Bomde curse’.
For as long as Lotte has been performing far from autumn baseball, the phrase “bomde” – meaning “only good in spring” – has followed the team like a curse tag during the so-called offseason and early season.
But this year is different. Forty-two games into the regular season, Lotte already has a +10 win-loss margin. And after going 14-8 in April (0.636 winning percentage), the team hasn’t seen much of a gap in its monthly win rate, going 12-8 in May (0.600 winning percentage). Spring is already long gone.
If Lotte can secure a win in the three-game series against LG, they could finish May with the exact same record as April. And if they can finish April and May as the best team back-to-back, they can prove that the curse is no longer on them.
Last year, Lotte finished second with 14 wins, one draw and nine losses (a winning percentage of 0.609), setting the tone for the rest of the season. However, they plummeted down the standings after a disastrous May, going 9-17 (0.346 win percentage). This year, however, they have had a much different May, showing the consistency of a strong team.
And if Lotte can get more than a sweep in this three-game series against LG, it could be another valuable unspoken proof that they are a legitimate contender for the title this year.