As the KT Wiz swept all three consecutive games against the NC Dinos, it maintained its position as No. 4. Now, KT is confidently targeting the third place.
KT won 10-4 in the home game of the NC Dinos and 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 12th with the good pitching of foreign starting ace William Cuevas and consecutive home runs by foreign batter Mel Rojas Jr.
With the victory, KT recorded 67 wins, 65 losses and two draws, and +2 wins based on the winning rate of 500. The winning rate was 0.508. It successfully swept the three consecutive games against NC, continuing its three-game winning streak. KT is ranked fourth. On the other hand, NC lost for four consecutive games and marked 58 wins, 71 losses and two draws (0.450 win rate). It is ranked ninth in the league.
KT gained the upper hand of NC by scoring three runs first in the bottom of the second inning. Leading hitter Kang Baek-ho and subsequent hitter Kim Sang-soo had consecutive walks against NCs starting pitcher Lim Sang-hyun, and Bae Jeong-dae hit a two-run double to center left. Bae Jeong-dae, who successfully stole the third base during Shim Woo-juns at-bat, then homered when Cho Dae-hyun made a sacrifice fly to the left field after one out. The score was 3-0.
NC countered by scoring a point in the top of the fifth inning. Leading hitter Han Seok-hyun got on base with a double over the height of the right field and went all the way to the third base when Kim Joo-won hit to the left-center field with one out. KT left fielder Kim Min-hyuk reportedly deceived Han by showing off his glove while pretending to be a catch. Then, when Park Min-woo grounded out to the second base, Han Seok-hyun scored a run.
KT immediately scored another run with a big single in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out and no runners on base, Rojas hit a fastball in the fourth inning with the ball count at 1-2, and passed the central fence. It was Rojas’ 31st homer of this season. (4-1) 먹튀검증
NC recovered a point again in the top of the sixth inning. Leading hitter Davidson hit a triple that separates the right-center field and scored when his successor Kwon Hee-dong grounded out to the second base. However, KT made a big inning in which five runs were scored en masse in the bottom of the following sixth inning, effectively determining the outcome. With NC pitcher Lim Sang-hyun changing from Lee Joon-ho to Hwang Jae-gyun, the leading hitter, had a hit to the middle. KT’s No. 8 hitter Shim Woo-joon struck out at the eighth pitch after one out and Bae Jeong-dae had a great chance to load the bases, but pinch hitter Jang Sung-woo drew a walk. Rojas then hit the fastball perfectly in the middle of the eighth pitch after a full count match, exploding the grand slam that crosses the fence in the right-center field. The grand slam was his 36th this season and 1,082th in KBO history. It was also the sixth grand slam he has tasted as an individual. The score quickly became 9-2.
Afterwards, the two teams exchanged runs in the eighth inning. In the top of the eighth inning, NC had runners on the first and third bases with one out, and Park Si-won hit a sacrifice RBI single to the left field. Then, third baseman Jang Sung-woo scored when Song Min-seop hit a ground ball to the shortstop in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out and runners on the third base. NC’s leadoff hitter Ahn Jung-yeol drew a superior solo arch against So Hyung-joon in the top of the ninth inning, but that was it.
KT, which was considered the favorite before the season’s opening, is showing remarkable progress. It is shaking the KBO league. It lost seven games and lost three games in recent 10 games. At one point, it fell to the bottom of the list, but after gradually upping its ranking from ninth to eighth, seventh, sixth and fifth, it has secured the fourth place position. It is poised to surpass even the third place ranking. It is because the team has only two games to go against third-ranked LG. While there are no showdowns left between the two teams, KT has 10 games to play and LG has 12 games to go. Now, KT will have a showdown with fifth-ranked Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Wednesday after a one-day break on Wednesday, which is expected to be a do-or-die battle.
Meanwhile, KT starter Cuevas pitched six innings (88 pitches), six hits, two walks, six strikeouts and two runs (two earned) to secure his seventh win (12 losses) this season. Kim Min-soo, Lee Sang-dong (one run) and So Hyung-joon (one run) each pitched one inning. With a total of eight hits, leadoff Rojas had three hits (two homers) from four times at bat, five RBIs and one walk, and two runs scored. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, he took the mound for the first time in 491 days since the game against Suwon NC on May 10 last year. So will continue to serve as a bullpen for the rest of the season.
In contrast, starting pitcher Lim Sang-hyun gave three hits (one homer) and four strikeouts (four earned runs) in five innings, putting the team at a loss. It was his fourth loss without a win in this season. Lee Joon-ho (five runs allowed in ⅔ innings), Choi Woo-seok (one ⅓ inning), and Soi-hyun (one inning) threw in turn. In the batting lineup, which had 10 hits, Davidson, Kwon Hee-dong, and Han Seok-hyun performed their best with multi hits.