Defeated SSG in the first 5th place match in history… Rojas “The two home runs were aimed at”
Today’s wild card match against Doosan
Coach Lee Kang-cheol “We will take on the challenge with courage”
Lotte Reyes sets a new record with ‘202 hits’
Professional baseball KT won the first-ever regular season 5th place match, securing the final ticket to the ‘fall baseball’ (postseason). KT won 4-3 over SSG in this game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 1st and confirmed 5th place. Foreign hitter Rojas’ two home runs led the team to the fall baseball stage for the fifth consecutive year.
KT, which took 5th place, will play a wild card match against Doosan (74 wins, 2 draws, 68 losses), ranked 4th in the regular season, at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul starting on the 2nd. A maximum of two games will be played in the wild card match, and the 5th place team must win both games to advance to the semi-playoffs (semi-PO). If the 4th place team wins or draws at least one game, it will advance to semi-PO. This season, Doosan is ahead with 12 wins and 4 losses. KT coach Lee Kang-cheol said, “As we had a difficult time advancing to the postseason, we will prepare well so that we can play fall baseball for a long time. “I will show my spirit as a challenger,” he said.
KT and SSG finished 144 regular season games side by side with 72 wins, 2 draws, and 70 losses (winning rate of 0.507). Until 2019, when teams had the same regular season rankings, the final rankings were determined based on head-to-head wins, head-to-head multiple points, and the previous year’s rankings. However, the 1st place match in 2020 and the 5th place match in 2022 were introduced. KT and SSG recorded 8 wins and 8 losses in head-to-head matches this season. However, in the head-to-head match, KT (92 points) had a home advantage in the 5th place match ahead of SSG (87 points) and eventually won.
In the game held in front of a full crowd (18,700 people), KT took the lead with a home run by second hitter Rojas. Rojas fired a solo shot over the left wall against SSG starting pitcher Elias in the bottom of the first inning. However, from then on, they were blocked by Elias’ good pitching until the 6th inning, so they were unable to escape and instead allowed a comeback. In the top of the 8th inning, when KT was down 1-2, it seemed like they were giving up the game by allowing SSG’s 3rd hitter, Choi Jeong, to hit a 1-run home run over the center fence.
SSG started to ‘solidify’ by bringing hold king Noh Kyung-eun to the mound in the bottom of the 7th inning, followed by ace Kim Gwang-hyeon in the bottom of the 8th inning. As a result, Kim Gwang-hyun’s card, which was taken out at first base with no outs in the bottom of the 8th inning, was defeated by SSG. KT’s pinch hitter Oh Jae-il hit a right-handed hit against Kim Gwang-hyun, giving KT the opportunity to reach first and third base without a no out. Then, Rojas, who came to bat, caught Gwang-Hyun Kim’s change-up in a no-strike, 2-ball situation and crossed the left wall once again, turning the game around 4-3. Rojas said, “Both of the home runs hit were the balls I was aiming for. In my first at-bat in the 1st inning, I aimed for a fastball, and in the 8th inning, I was waiting for a high ball, but it came in a little high. “I’m very happy that I scored 4 RBIs today,” he said.
KT closing pitcher Young-Hyun Park was in danger of tying the game with 2 outs and 3 bases in the top of the 9th inning, but ended the game by striking out Choi Ji-hoon. SSG Choo Shin-soo, who said goodbye to his home fans in the final game of the regular season against Kiwoom the day before, was appointed as a pinch hitter with one out in the top of the 9th inning, but ended his professional career with a strikeout.
Lotte foreign hitter Reyes hit his 202nd hit of the season in the final game of the regular season against NC held in Changwon on this day, breaking the record for most hits in a season (201) set by KIA Seo Geon-chang at Nexen (now Kiwoom) in 2014. Reyes, who had recorded 200 hits until the previous day, tied with Seo Geon-chang in the top of the 5th inning and set a new record in the top of the 9th inning.
Suwon = Reporter Kang Hong-gu [email protected]
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2024-10-02 07:47:30