Today in Suwon, semi-playoff game 3
1 win, 1 loss, 100% PO credit to the winning team in game 3
Choi, 2 wins and 0 losses in 3 starts against KT this year… Opportunity to shake off the ‘autumn nightmare’ of all-time PS wins
Benjamin’s career ERA against LG is 1.66… Lee Kang-cheol “Changes the pitching order considering the opponent”
LG right-handed pitcher Choi Won-tae and KT’s left-handed ace Benjamin will face off as starters in Game 3, which will be a watershed in the professional baseball postseason semi-playoffs (semi-PO, 3 wins out of 5). The two teams shared one win each in the first and second games. So far, in the first and second semi-PO games, which were played in a 3-win-out-of-5 format, the two teams faced each other with 1 win and 1 loss 6 times, and the team that won the 3rd game 100% advanced to the playoffs (PO). Based on the teams that advanced to PO, there were 3 wins and 1 loss three times and 3 wins and 2 losses three times. This is why the third game of the semi-PO, held on the 8th in KT’s home stadium Suwon, is expected to be a game that will determine the direction of the series.
For Choi Won-tae, the third game is also an opportunity to escape from the ‘autumn nightmare’. Choi Won-tae, who has recorded a total of 78 wins (58 losses) since his professional debut in 2016, is considered a high-quality starting pitcher. However, when it came to the postseason stage, he performed poorly. Until last year, he pitched in 15 postseason games, but failed to achieve a single win, leaving behind a record of 1 loss, 1 save, 3 holds, and an ERA of 11.17.
In particular, as a starter in Game 2 of the Korean Series against KT last year, he collapsed by conceding 4 runs while allowing 1 out count. He left the mound without being able to last even one inning, and appeared as a relief pitcher in Game 4, allowing one run in one inning. In the 5th game of the Korean Series against SSG in 2022, when he was a member of Kiwoom, he hit a walk-off 3-run home run from the opposing team’s veteran batter Kim Kang-min (retired). The performance against KT this year is good. In three appearances as a starter, he recorded two wins, no losses, and an average ERA of 3.50. In his most recent appearance, a regular season game on August 28, he struck out 8 and gave up only one run in 7 innings.
KT Benjamin is the ‘LG Killer’ who shows a particularly strong side in LG, where left-handed hitters are the main players. This season, he appeared in 4 games against LG and recorded 1 win, 1 loss, and an average ERA of 1.93. Benjamin’s hitting percentage in this year’s regular season was 0.244, but against LG batters he recorded a lower rate of 0.222. His career records against LG are also good, with 5 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 1.66 in 10 appearances.
According to KT’s original pitching order, right-handed pitcher Cuevas, who was the starter in the first game of the wild card decision against Doosan, had to appear in the third game. However, KT manager Lee Kang-cheol early decided that Benjamin, who pitched well in the second game of the wild card decision, pitching 7 innings (88 pitches), allowing 3 hits, no walks, 6 strikeouts, and no runs, would be the starter in the 3rd game as a semi-PO. Coach Lee explained, “Cuevas threw a lot in the first wild card game, and we also took into account his record against LG.” Cuevas threw 103 pitches in 6 innings in the first wild card game.
LG will only be able to play the game easily if the bats of its main hitters, Moon Bo-kyung and Kim Hyun-soo, who went 0-hit in 8 at-bats in the first and second games, come back to life. LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “Our team must play aggressive baseball at all costs. I believe we will do well in the third game. “There will be no change in batting order,” he said. Moon Bo-kyung and Kim Hyun-soo appeared as batters 4 and 6, respectively, in the first and second games. KT, who collapsed by making 4 mistakes in the second game of the semi-PO, needs the fielders to regain their concentration.
Reporter Lee Heon-jae [email protected]
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2024-10-07 20:25:53