Despite a win percentage of less than 5 percent and a seventh-place ranking, the team isn’t giving up on making the postseason. On the contrary, they are confident that it will be a close game. KT manager Lee Kang-cheol hopes for a second-half comeback based on pitching.
The KT Wiz took on the Kiwoom Heroes at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 13th. The team overcame a setback before the game when outfielder Choi Sung-ho was sidelined with a fractured big toe. Ko Young-pyo pitched seven scoreless innings to earn his eighth win of the season, despite a scary moment when he was hit by a pitch while fielding.
KT finished the first half with 37 wins, two ties, 41 losses, and a .474 winning percentage. That’s not good enough for a postseason regular, but it’s also not far from the postseason.
The 13 wins were exactly what KT head coach Lee Kang-cheol was hoping for in the second half. Not losing the starting battle, like Ko Young-pyo did with his Quality Start Plus (three earned runs or less over seven innings), but protecting the lead with bullpen stability. To do that, the team needed a proper break, and the All-Star break came.
Looking forward to the second half of the season, Lee Kang-cheol said, “The other teams have a good level of completeness, so luck and starting battles will be important.”
“We lost three games in a row against KIA, but that was because our bullpen was tired. The starters did a great job. The starters need to keep the momentum going, and the middle relievers need to recharge. We lost Choi Soo-ho, but with Kang Baek-ho back, we’re pretty much set.”먹튀검증
For the second half of the season, he looked ahead to August. The team sees the week from the 18th to the 24th as a crucial one, when they face Hanwha (1 win, 1 draw, 4 losses) and KIA (1 win, 6 losses) back-to-back. Lee Kang-chul said, “Losing to certain teams hurts. Even if we lose three games in a row, we have to win one. Hanwha is the strongest these days. We have a lot of games left with Hanwha (10 games) and KIA (9 games). That’s when it counts,” he said.
Before that, it’s important not to lose ground in the standings. “I hope we can start August with a winning percentage around 5, and then we’ll be in the race,” Lee said. There were nine games left in July after the All-Star break. KT needs to finish those nine games with at least six wins and three losses (43 wins, two draws and 44 losses) to start August with a 5 percent chance of winning.