KT Wiz lost the first game of the playoffs (PO) amid the disappointing performance of its veterans and lost the lead.
KT lost 5-9 in the first PO match against NC in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason’ held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 30th.
It was a loss that KT’s batting line was blocked by the brilliant pitching of NC’s foreign ace Eric Peddy, who returned from a right forearm contusion, allowing 1 run and striking out 12 in 6 innings, but it was disappointing that the silence and fatal mistakes of the veterans were what they should have made in a big game.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol, who believed in the veteran’s experience, appointed Kim Sang-soo as the leadoff in the first game. Kim Sang-soo was placed as the top hitter instead of Kim Min-hyuk and Cho Yong-ho, who mainly played first during the season.
However, Kim Sang-soo was silent in the first game with 4 at-bats, no hits, and 1 strikeout. In particular, in the 8th inning with no outs and 1st base, after avoiding the crisis of a check swing decision after two strikes, he had another opportunity to hit, but retreated with a double play, pouring cold water on KT’s will to chase.
Hwang Jae-gyun, who appeared as the second hitter and served as a table setter along with Kim Sang-soo, also left a mark of disappointment as he was unable to get on base once, going 0-hit in 4 at-bats and striking out 2.
In the case of Hwang Jae-gyun, unlike a veteran, he made a fatal mistake in defense and bowed his head.
In the 3rd inning, when KT was down 0-2, NC leadoff hitter Park Min-woo hit an ordinary infield fly toward third base, but Hwang Jae-gyun made a catching error and allowed the team to get on base.
Soon after, Park Geon-woo’s sharp batted ball passed through Hwang Jae-gyun’s defense and led to an RBI double, widening NC’s gap. NC completely dominated the early going, with even Park Geon-woo, who settled on second base, hitting home on Kwon Hee-dong’s timely hit.
KT, which was being dragged, seemed to change the mood as Moon Sang-cheol, who took the lead in the bottom of the third inning, fired a solo shot to chase down Peddy. Afterwards, Bae Jeong-dae got on base with an infield single and had a golden opportunity to shake up Peddy, but the veteran hitters were silent, with Park Kyung-soo striking out, Kim Sang-soo hitting an infield grounder, and Hwang Jae-gyun walking away with a strikeout.토토사이트
In addition, veteran Park Byeong-ho, who appeared as the number 4 hitter, also failed to meet expectations with 1 hit in 4 at-bats. He struck out in all of his first three at-bats. He reached base with a double in his final at-bat in the 9th inning, when the game was in full swing, and scored on Bae Jeong-dae’s bases-loaded home run, but his early performance was somewhat disappointing.