It was literally a downpour. However, it was a real cliffhanger for KT.
Kim Jae-yoon took the mound as the second pitcher with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth inning against the LG Twins in the fourth game of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Korean Series (best-of-seven)’ at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on April 11, with his team trailing 0-2.
The fact that he was the second pitcher to enter the game after Kim Jae-yoon in the fifth inning caught the attention of many, and rightfully so, as Kim Jae-yoon is the team’s closer and has recorded 32 saves this year.
KT manager Lee Kang-cheol may have had this in mind. He wanted to minimize the number of runs by keeping Uhm Sang-baek’s leadoff man at bay. The bats were tied up against Kim Yoon-sik, so any more runs would have put them in a tough spot.
In the fifth inning, Kim gave up a sacrifice bunt to the first batter, Shin Min-jae. The runners were on first and second. He then gave up an RBI single to Hong Chang-ki to make the score 0-3. However, Kim Jae-yoon struck out the next two batters, Park Hae-min on a fly ball to left field and Kim Hyun-soo on a fly ball to right field, to prevent the fire from spreading.
Kim Jae-yoon took the mound again in the top of the sixth inning, but like a day earlier (Game 3 of the 10th), he bowed his head to a bitter home run. One out later, he gave up a single to Oh Ji-hwan to load the bases. Moon was up to bat, but he couldn’t get anything past Bo-Kyung Moon, who was 2-for-6 with a home run and a walk-off homer. He hit a 110-meter two-run home run over the left field fence to extend the lead to 5-0.
Eventually, KT had to replace Kim Jae-yoon, who gave up another run. His final line was 1⅓ innings, two hits (one home run), one walk, and two runs. The team fell to 4-15 as they failed to capitalize on the early rainfall.
KT manager Lee Kang-cheol said after the game, “Uhm Sang-baek has reached his pitching limit. We wanted him to gain confidence in a more comfortable situation, and we couldn’t let him lose (the game), so we brought him in,” Lee said after the game. 보스토토 도메인
Kim has struggled in the Korean Series. He also suffered a bitter defeat in Game 3, when he gave up the game-winning run. He gave up a three-run home run to Oh Ji-hwan with runners on first and second in the top of the ninth inning with his team leading 7-5. The home run cost KT a 7-8 lead, and they dropped the game to LG.
After losing the third game on a home run, KT was on the brink of losing the fourth game of the series. The series was now 1-3. KT is now in the position of needing to take games 5-7 to win the championship.