Weekend Picks

BASEBALL

Korea Baseball Organization

Doosan Bears at LG Twins

6:30 p.m. Friday, Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Seoul

The action is back in the capital, as Seoul’s hometown rivals Doosan Bears and LG Twins meet for another round of the Jamsil derby from Friday to Sunday.

The Twins, ranked eighth as of Thursday, face an uphill challenge against the top-ranked defending champion Bears.

The Bears are especially solid in their pitching, with four players ranked within the top five in terms of number of wins. Dustin Nippert leads with 12 wins, Michael Bowden and Chang Won-jun are tied for second with 10 wins, and Yoo Hee-kwan is ranked fifth with nine wins.

Nippert is also a top pitcher in terms of earned run average (ERA), ranking second in the league with a 3.26 ERA, and Bowden leads the strikeout ranking in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 97.

Add to that Bears power sluggers Park Kun-woo, with a batting average of .348, and Kim Jae-hwan, who has hit 22 long balls this season, and it’s clear the Twins have their work cut out for them.

As a team, the Bears have a .296 batting average and a 4.26 ERA, the top in both offense and defense.

FOOTBALL

K-League Classic

Ulsan Hyundai FC at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

7 p.m. Sunday, Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonju, North Jeolla

Two Hyundai-sponsored football clubs will face off this weekend at the home stadium of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, which is looking to maintain its undefeated status in the K-League Classic.

The top-ranked team has just come off a 3-2 win over second-ranked FC Seoul. During Wednesday’s game, it was Jeonbuk’s Brazilian forward, Lopes Pereira Ricardo, who played a vital role in the team’s victory, netting two goals for Jeonbuk.

As the club hosts Ulsan Hyundai FC this weekend, Jeonbuk hopes to extend its undefeated record at home. The team’s season record stands at 12 wins and nine draws, scoring 39 goals while conceding 24.

Ulsan, on the other hand, is coming out of a devastating 3-1 loss against Incheon United FC. Ulsan, currently ranked third after Jeonbuk and Seoul, conceded three goals in a span of 10 minutes during Wednesday’s game.

Incheon’s Oris Kevin Julienne Henricus of Belgium scored a goal in the 50th minute of the match and made another 14 minutes later.

Taking on Jeonbuk this Sunday will not be an easy task for Ulsan. The team at the moment has 10 wins, four draws and seven losses.