The ’12 Winless’ returning Fall Ace is confirmed as the odds-on favorite, with KT expected to beat Doosan in the final game and go directly to the PO.
The KT Wiz moved closer to the playoffs with a dominant performance from ‘Autumn Ace’ Cuevas and the firepower of their bats.
KT Wiz won the season finale (Game 16) of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the Hanwha Eagles 9-2 on Monday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, South Korea. 먹튀검증토토사이트
Second-ranked KT won its second straight game and finished the 2023 season with a nine-win, one-draw and six-loss advantage over Hanwha. 78 wins, 3 draws, 62 losses on the season. With one game left in the regular season, KT can clinch second place if it beats Dusan in Suwon on Oct. 10. Meanwhile, ninth-place Hanwha, which has lost four straight games, has 56 wins, six draws and 77 losses.
KT’s starting lineup was Kim Sang-soo (shortstop), Hwang Jae-gyun (third base), Anthony Alford (left field), Park Byung-ho (first base), Jang Sung-woo (designated hitter), Cho Yong-ho (right field), Bae Jeong-dae (center field), Park Kyung-soo (second base), and Kang Hyun-woo (catcher).
Hanwha countered with Lee Myung-ki (designated hitter), Moon Hyun-bin (second base), Nick Williams (left field), Kim In-hwan (first base), Kwon Kwang-min (center field), Lee Jin-young (right field), Park Jung-hyun (third base), Lee Do-yoon (shortstop), and Choi Jae-hoon (catcher).
KT harassed the Hanwha mound from the first inning. After the tablesetters Kim Sang-soo and Hwang Jae-gyun set up the bases with a walk and a single, Alford helped Kim advance to third with a single to right field. Park Byung-ho then broke the scoreless tie with a sacrifice fly to left field.
In the third, Hwang Jae-gyun led off with a single and reached on a throwing error by the second baseman. Alford grounded out to shortstop, but Park Byung-ho hit a run-scoring single to center field.
KT didn’t stop there. In the top of the fourth inning, Kim Sang-soo reached on an error by the third baseman, Hwang Jae-gyun walked, and Alford singled to load the bases. Park Byung-ho drew a walk, Jang Jang-woo hit a sacrifice fly to widen the gap, and a throwing error by the second baseman on an infield single allowed Alford to score from third. Choi Jae-dae followed with an RBI single to right field.
KT added another run in the sixth inning with three consecutive singles by Park Byung-ho and Jang Jang-woo, starting with Alford. Then, after Choi Sung-ho was retired on a fielder’s choice, Bae Jeong-dae made it 8-0 with a sacrifice fly to left field.
The scoring continued in the seventh inning. After a leadoff single by Kang Hyun-woo and a walk to pinch-hitter Lee Ho-yeon, a wild pitch allowed Kang to advance to third base. Pinch-hitter Ahn Chi-young then drove in the winning run with an RBI single.
Hanwha loaded the bases in the eighth on an error and consecutive singles by Lee Myung-ki and Moon Hyun-bin. Williams and Kim In-hwan followed with back-to-back pinch-hit singles, but the momentum had already shifted in their favor.
KT starter William Cuevas earned his 12th win of the season with seven innings of two-hit ball, two walks and eight strikeouts. With a winning percentage of 100 percent, he became the winningest pitcher in the 2023 season. He was followed by Kim Young-hyun, Lee Sang-dong, and Kim Jung-woon. In the batting order, Hwang Jae-gyun, Alford, Park Byung-ho, Jang Jang-woo, and Choi Jae-dae had five multi-hit games.
On the other hand, Hanwha starter Nam Ji-min suffered his seventh loss of the season after allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk in 2 1/3 innings. A multi-hit game from leadoff hitter Lee Myung-ki was not enough in the loss.
KT will take a day off before hosting Doosan at home on the 9th for the final game of the season. Hanwha hosts NC in Changwon on the 9th.