The KT Wiz are on the brink, can their vaunted starting trio find their groove again?
For KT, the losses in Games 3 and 4 in Suwon on October 10-11 were devastating. Game 3 was lost when closer Kim Jae-yoon gave up a game-winning three-run shot to Oh Ji-hwan with one out. In the fourth game, the team lost in a big way after the super precipitation that brought Kim Jae-yoon to the plate in the fifth inning didn’t work.
Series score 1-3. They need to win games 5-7 to win the Korean Series. Lee Kang-cheol was also confident in the playoffs against the NC Dinos, as they won three straight games after losing two, but the situation was different then and now. First of all, there is a difference in the power of NC and LG Twins, and secondly, KT is slowly getting tired. Just like NC in the playoffs.
KT is likely to start Young-pyo Ko, William Cuevas, and Wes Benjamin in Games 5-7. However, they need to win Game 5 to see Cuevas, and they need to win Game 6 to see Benjamin. In other words, we’ll have to take Game 5 and see.
In other words, basically, we can’t afford to let Young-pyo go down. There’s also no reason why Cuevas, who started Game 2 on Aug. 8, shouldn’t pitch in relief. It’s a must-win game. Game 5 is on the 13th. Ko Young-pyo and Cuevas, who pitched on the 7th and 8th, could pitch back-to-back.
However, KT’s vaunted starters aren’t the only ones who can pitch well. KT’s real problem is the struggles of Son Dong-hyun (6.75 ERA in 3 games), Park Young-hyun (6.75 ERA in 3 games), and Kim Jae-yoon (15.00 ERA in 3 games), who have become the formula for the 7th-9th innings. In other words, even if the starters are pitching according to Lee Kang-cheol’s calculations, the bullpen is shaky and victory is not guaranteed. The LG Twins’ hitters are certainly confident in their ability to attack the KT bullpen.
In the end, it comes down to the fact that KT’s offense needs to explode to make up for the weaknesses on the mound. In fact, the KT offense hasn’t been bad in the Korean Series. As a team, they’re batting .267 with 18 RBIs. Considering this is a short series, that’s pretty good. LG’s team batting average of .324 with 8 home runs and 30 RBIs is phenomenal. 보스토토
Still, we can’t help it. KT really can’t compete if their bats can’t break down the LG mound. That’s why the struggles of center fielder Park Byung-ho and Anthony Alford are so painful. Park is batting .133 with one home run and two RBIs in four games, while Alford is batting .167 with one RBI in four games. Ssang-po has one home run and three RBIs, so KT’s bats aren’t exactly flowing.
The duo has struggled since the playoffs. Park is batting .200 with one RBI and Alford is batting .143 with one home run and one RBI. The playoffs were made possible by other players going crazy, but it’s getting to the point where they need their bats to explode.