Professional baseball WC decision 2nd game 1-0 win
Benjamin 7 scoreless innings, Kang Baek-ho’s final hit… The 5th place team was the first to be overturned as a ‘wild card’
Director Lee Kang-cheol “Continues to challenge the first record”
Doosan wins the WC decisive game for the second year in a row… KT, return match with 3rd place LG after 1 year
magic of rebellion Professional baseball KT players are celebrating on the mound after winning 1-0 in the second game of the postseason wild card decision against Doosan on the 3rd and advancing to the semi-playoffs with two consecutive wins. News 1 “Aren’t we a wizard team (KT Wiz)? The words of KT coach Lee Kang-cheol, who said, “It is time for 5th place to beat 4th place at least once,” have become reality.
KT, which ranked 5th in the regular season and was in the final postseason, defeated Doosan in 4th place in the wild card (WC) game and advanced to the semi-playoffs (quasi-PO). KT won 1-0 in the second game of the WC decision against Doosan held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 3rd and advanced to semi-PO with two consecutive wins. KT, which won 4-0 in the first game the previous day, won both games. KT defeated SSG 4-3 in the 5th place match of the first single-game match held since the launch of professional baseball on the 1st and obtained a ticket to the last postseason.
The WC deciding match, in which the 4th and 5th place teams in the regular season face each other, was introduced in 2015 and is the 10th this year, but it is the first time that the 5th place defeated the 4th place and advanced to semi-PO. Up to two games of the WC deciding match will be held at the home stadium of the 4th place team. The 4th place player will advance to the semi-PO with just one draw. In comparison, 5th place has to win both times. This method was absolutely advantageous to the 4th place team, so the 4th place team reached the semi-PO stage in all 9 times.
In the second game, KT won by one point thanks to starting pitcher Benjamin’s 7 innings of scoreless pitching and Kang Baek-ho’s go-ahead hit in the 6th inning. What broke the tight balance of the game was Kang Baek-ho’s shot in the top of the sixth inning. Kang Baek-ho, who stood at the plate with one out and runners on third base, scored the winning RBI with a single to left. KT had previously overcome the risk of conceding a run in the bottom of the 5th inning by catching Doosan second base runner Yang Seok-hwan at home with a quick and accurate throw from left fielder Rojas.
Left-hander Benjamin led the team to two consecutive wins with outstanding pitching, striking out six without walking and giving up only three hits in seven innings. The slider that fell sharply to the outside of a left-handed batter was especially powerful. Ko Young-pyo and Park Young-hyun, who appeared on the mound in the 8th and 9th innings respectively, pitched one inning each and completely shut out the opposing batting line with no hits. KT continued to score no runs for 22 consecutive innings from the 6th inning of the first game of the WC decision against KIA in 2022 until this day’s game. This is the record for the most WC finals ever. Coach Lee Kang-cheol said, “We are continuing to write ‘records of firsts’ (including a win in the 5th place match and an upset in the wild card match). “We will continue to challenge the first record together with our fans,” he said.
Doosan went scoreless for 18 consecutive innings in two games and failed to advance beyond the WC deciding game for the second year in a row. Doosan, which advanced to the WC final in 5th place in the regular season last year, lost in the first game to 4th place NC. Doosan suffered a major absence from main gun Yang Eui-ji, who was unable to bat due to a collarbone injury. Coach Seung-yeop Lee, who took charge of Doosan last year, lost all three postseason games after taking office. Director Seung-yeop Lee said, “I am depressed and heartbroken. I feel like I’m still lacking something. The players prepared hard. “I feel sorry to the fans,” he said.
Starting on the 5th, KT will play a semi-PO match against LG, ranked 3rd in the regular season, with 3 wins out of 5. The two teams who faced each other in last year’s Korean Series are having a return match for the first time in a year to advance to the playoffs (PO). In last year’s Korean Series, LG defeated KT with 4 wins and 1 loss and lifted the Korean Series championship trophy for the first time in 29 years. In this year’s regular season matchup, LG took the lead with 9 wins and 7 losses.
Reporter Lee Heon-jae uni@donga.com
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