If we had to choose a team that showed miraculous power in this season’s pennant race, it would be KT Wiz. At the beginning of the season, many key players left due to injuries and fell to the bottom. However, after showing off their potential from the mid to late season, they are now aiming to advance directly to the playoffs by finishing in second place.
In fact, while LG won the pennant race, KT’s goal is second place. However, second-place Mercury was caught in a state of emergency. Wes Benjamin (30), the team’s foreign ace, left the line due to poor condition.
KT coach Lee Kang-cheol, the commanding tower, met with reporters ahead of the Suwon LG game on the 2nd and sighed, saying, “Benjamin is not in good shape.”
Benjamin started 28 games this season and performed well with 15 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 3.59. He pitched 158 innings, recording 148 hits (12 home runs), 45 walks, 156 strikeouts, 79 runs (63 earned runs), a WHIP (on base per inning allowed) of 1.22, and a hit rate of 0.241. Quality start (less than 3 earned runs in 6 innings as a starter) and pitched 11 times. This season, he served as a pillar of KT’s starting lineup by ranking second in most wins, third in strikeouts, ninth in most innings pitched, and 11th in ERA.
However, the last minute of this season is a critical time for the team, and Benjamin seems to be having a hard time controlling his condition. Director Lee explained, “They say it hurts in several places, but it’s not enough to warrant a hospital checkup.”
He continued, “He threw a lot. He said he threw the most in Benjamin’s career. I think we should give him as much rest as possible and see if he’s okay. For now, it would be good if he could throw in the game on the 5th or 6th, but we need to check him every day. “I think so,” he added.
With 8 games left this season, KT is in 2nd place with 74 wins, 59 losses, and 3 draws. The gap with 3rd place NC is 2.5 games. They have 3 games to go with 4th place Doosan. KT played 4 more games than NC and 3 more games than Doosan. Therefore, we have no choice but to pay close attention to the results of the game between NC and Doosan after the season ends.
Above all, KT has been playing the so-called nine-game schedule of death since the 1st. They won 6-3 against Kiwoom on the 1st, but lost 4-5 to LG on the 2nd. Starting on the 3rd, KT will play a four-game series against KIA. A double header is scheduled for the 4th. They will play Samsung on the 6th, Hanwha on the 7th and 8th, and after a one-day break on the 9th, they will play the final game of the pennant race against Doosan on the 10th.토토사이트
Benjamin is no longer on the mound after the game against KIA on the 22nd of last month. It can be said that only Cuevas, Ko Young-pyo, and Bae Je-seong remain in the starting lineup. Coach Lee said, “There are no starters for the two double headers against KIA on the 4th and the game against Samsung on the 5th, so a replacement starter will have to come out.” How will KT safely overcome the crisis at the end of the season when the ace unexpectedly leaves due to poor physical condition?