The Doosan Bears clinched their first South Korean baseball pennant in 21 years with a 9-2 victory over the KT Wiz on Thursday.
At 90-46-1 (wins-losses-ties), the Bears secured first place in the Korea Baseball Organization with seven games remaining. The second-place NC Dinos beat the Hanwha Eagles 7-2 on Thursday to sit 11.5 games behind at 74-53-3, but they will not catch the Bears even if they win their remaining 14 games.
The Bears won the 2015 Korean Series after finishing third in the regular season. Their last pennant came in 1995, when they also won the championship final.
The Bears have earned the bye to the Korean Series. As the third seed last year, they had to go through two postseason rounds to reach the championship stage.
The Bears are just two wins from breaking the single-season record for victories. The 2000 Hyundai Unicorns hold the current mark with 91 wins in a 133-game season. The KBO teams now play 144 games a season.
The Bears have been a dominant force all season and have not been seriously challenged at the top spot.
They boast the highest team batting average at .297 and the most runs among 10 clubs with 889. No other team has even scored 800 runs. They also lead the league in team on-base (.377) and slugging (.472) percentages.
Kim Jae-hwan is leading the balanced attack with a .337/.416/.648 line, 36 home runs and 119 RBIs.
The Bears have been just as strong on the mound, with the best team ERA at 4.36 in the offense-happy league. They're among the league leaders in opponents' batting average, fewest walks allowed and strikeouts.
Four of their starters have won at least 15 games, including Dustin Nippert, who leads the KBO with 21 wins. Nippert also has the lowest ERA with 2.92, while teammate Michael Bowden is tops with 150 strikeouts.
Left-hander Jang Won-jun collected his 15th win on Thursday against the Wiz, making the Bears the first KBO team ever with four 15-game winners.
Bears manager Kim Tae-hyung said he has been feeling pressure throughout the season.
"We began the season with tension because we had not performed well in the season after winning the championship title," he said. "Clinching the pennant was more difficult than I thought."
Kim, who led the Bears to their fourth Korean Series title last year, said the team had difficulties in July and August when their bullpen was shaken after pitchers Jung Jae-hoon and Lee Hyun-seung got injured. However, he praised the players for overcoming the pressure and struggles.
"Our players communicate well with each other," he said. "The role of the manager is to let the players show their top performance and everything went well."
Kim, former catcher for the Bears, said they will now focus on their Korean Series title defense. The best-of-seven championship series will start on Oct. 29 at Jamsil Stadium, the Bears' home in Seoul.
"There is no need to push ourseleves (in the remaining seven games)," he said. "We will control our regular players' stamina and utilize backup members." (Yonhap)
