In five consecutive games, Nippert has failed to make quality starts, and his ERA has skyrocketed to 9.78 for the month. Nippert, who was the KBO’s first foreign player to surpass $2 million in annual salary, had an outstanding 2016 season with a winning percentage of 0.880. He played a significant role in the Bears’ success in winning the regular and postseason last year and picked up the league MVP award. While the Bears’ ace pitcher is underperforming, the Tigers’ Yang just picked up his 19th win of the season. Yang, who exceeded 200 innings for the first time last season, had to start his season earlier than others to represent Korea at the World Baseball Classic.But Yang also slowed down this month. Before the game against the LG Twins on Tuesday, Yang had only managed one win and one loss in the last four games with a 4.68 ERA. While pitching in a total of 25 innings, Yang gave up 18 runs. “He’s done a great job throughout the season,” Kim Ki-tae, manager of the Tigers said. “Slump is not the right word for him.”Kim’s statement proved right, as Yang picked up his 19th win of the season on Tuesday, giving up five hits and no runs while pitching seven innings. The Tigers were in desperate need of Yang’s return to form, as their batting lineup has also struggled this month. Making things worse, the Tigers’ bullpen, which has been their biggest weakness all season, hasn’t gotten any better.Yang himself has a reason to win the remaining games, as he is on the edge of becoming the first domestic pitcher in 22 years to pick up 20 wins in a single season. He has one more start, which he will have to win, against the KT Wiz over the weekend.