KT WIZ manager Lee Kang-cheol is a competitor. He believes that if you have to win a game, you have to win it.
When he needs to win, he uses unconventional pitchers. Especially in fall baseball, he doesn’t change his philosophy easily.
Lee used foreign pitcher William Cuevas, who took two days off after his last start in 2021, to start the regular season finale against the Samsung Lions.
Last year, he utilized foreign pitcher Wes Benjamin out of the bullpen in the wild-card game against the KIA Tigers after starting the final home game of the regular season on two days’ rest.
He then started Benjamin again on three days’ rest in the second game of the semifinals against the Kiwoom Heroes.
Some have called Lee’s use of pitchers “unorthodox”.
However, Lee’s bold use of pitchers has always yielded solid results.
In 2021, KT finished first in the regular season behind Cuevas and eventually won its first integrated title since its inception.
Last year, they advanced to the semifinals behind Benjamin.
In the fall of this year, Lee Kang-cheol’s toxic baseball continued.
When Cuevas, the starter of the first round of the playoffs (PO) against the NC Dinos, faltered, Lee pulled him after 75 pitches and reintroduced him for the fourth game of the PO four days later.
Despite concerns from those around him, Cuevas took the mound on just three days’ rest and shut down the NC lineup.
In a cliffhanger game with a 1-2 record, 안전카지노사이트 Cuevas was up to the task, throwing six innings of one-hit ball with no walks and three strikeouts.
KT took an 8-0 lead into the sixth inning, but Lee Kang-cheol kept pushing NC and gave them no room for an upset.
He brought in reliever Son Dong-hyun for the seventh inning and pitched one more inning.
Some may have questioned the wisdom of wasting a pitcher with a big lead, but Lee stuck to his philosophy.
Playing “hard-hitting baseball,” KT pulled away from the brink of a second straight PO and evened the series at 2-2.
KT plans to play ‘baseball like there’s no tomorrow’ in the 5th game of the NC and PO at Katie Wise Park in Suwon.
KT has always played fall baseball like that. 카지노사이트