2012.5.29 WEEKLY GLANCE

Many baseball fans were surprised by Nexen’s heroic run over the past few weeks, but it finally came to end on Thursday after losing to their inner-city rivals, the LG Twins.

Since the 5-3 defeat, they have been swept by the last-place Hanwha Eagles are struggling to snap a four-game losing streak.

But the Heroes, the last-place team in the KBO last year, made history before its latest skid. On Wednesday, they set a new record for the team’s longest winning streak at eight and also topped the league in standings for the first time since the franchise moved to Seoul in 2008.

But the Heroes face a tough road ahead and may fall down from their current No. 3 position in the standings. They begin this week’s action tonight against league’s top team, the SK Wyverns, at home before heading to Busan to face the No. 2 Lotte Giants on Friday.

The Wyverns have won their last two while the Giants are coming off a sweep against the Doosan Bears. The Wyverns lead the league in ERA (3.83). The Giants have the No. 1 batting average (0.275).

While the Heroes have started to cool off, the Kia Tigers began roaring with third baseman Lee Bum-ho performing well after recovering from injury. The Tigers are on a six-game winning streak after sweeping the Eagles and the Twins. The Gwangju-based ball club jumped from seventh place to tie for fourth.

The Tigers also had an emotional moment when fans said farewell to their legendary player Lee Jong-beom on Saturday.

They play the Bears tonight at Jamsil Baseball Stadium before taking on the Wyverns over the weekend.

These two teams have better head-to-head records this season. The Bears have won four times and lost only twice against the Tigers, while the Wyverns have won two games and tied once.

The Twins struggled last week with only one victory in six games. The Seoul-based ball club faces the Giants tonight before meeting the Eagles.

The Eagles’ slugger Kim Tae-kyun is still the only batter to maintain a batting average higher than 0.400 (0.435). He is also the leader in hits (60) and on-base percentage (0.521).