KT, which was in 10th place until June 5, is the biggest variable in the battle for the top spot.
(SEOUL, June 5) – KT WIZ was in last place (10th) in the 2023 Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) with a winning percentage of 0.375 (18 wins, 30 losses and two draws) through 50 games.
However, in the next 48 games, they won 30 games (13 losses – 0.698 winning percentage) and climbed to third place.
From July 28 against the Changwon NC Dinos to July 4 against the Jamsil Doosan Bears, the team won seven straight games.
After a successful ‘summer counterattack,’ KT aims to move into the top half of the standings.
Earlier this season, KT struggled with injuries to key players.
Two pillars of the bullpen, Joo Kwon (elbow) and Kim Min-soo (shoulder), went down with injuries before the start of the season, and homegrown ace Choi Soo-joon went under the knife with a torn elbow ligament.
The batting lineup was missing key players such as Choi Jae-dae (fractured back of left hand), Park Byung-ho (muscle in back of thigh), Hwang Jae-gyun (broken toe), Kang Baek-ho (fatigue) and Lee Ho-yeon (broken nose).
Choi Soo-joon underwent elbow surgery and won’t be able to play this season, while Kang Baek-ho is bouncing between the first team and rehab.
However, with Park Byung-ho, Choi Jae-dae, Hwang Jae-gyun, and Lee Ho-yeon performing consistently at the plate after returning, and the starting pitching staff led by Ko Young-pyo, KT has been on a steep rise.
From April to May, KT’s team OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) was 0.674, ranking seventh, and its team ERA was 4.67, ranking last.
Since June 1, KT has a team OPS of 0.741, tied for second, and a team ERA of 3.57, first.
In particular, the starting staff, which has shown stability with a 3.16 ERA, has earned all of its starts during the seven-game winning streak.
The addition of Ko Young-pyo, Wes Benjamin, Jeobusung Choi and William Cuevas, who ‘rejoined’ the team as a replacement for Bo Schuler, completed the ‘starting baseball’ that Lee Kang-cheol pursues.
Since June, Ko Young-pyo (6-2 with a 1.58 ERA), Benjamin (5-2 with a 2.65 ERA), Choi Ji-seong (4-2 with a 3.26 ERA), Uhm Sang-baek (2-2 with a 3.26 ERA), and Cuevas (4-4 with a 3.88 ERA) have been pitching solidly.
The bats have also been strong, with veterans like Hwang Jae-gyun (.343, two home runs, 20 RBIs since June), Kim Sang-soo (.287), and Park Byung-ho (.267, six home runs, 32 RBIs) anchoring the lineup, while Kim Min-hyuk (.297, six doubles) and Lee Ho-yeon (.363) provide power.
KT was ranked 10th until June 5. On August 5, they were in third place.
With about two months left in the 2023 KBO regular season, the biggest variable in the battle for the top spot is KT’s run.
Even when they were in the bottom half of the standings, Lee said, “Our team is struggling, but we are not in a position to stay in the bottom half.”
He sent a positive message to the team, 한국야동 and they responded with upward momentum.