You’ve done well. They tried to overcome injuries, but the results didn’t cooperate.
The KT Wiz suffered a 4-5 road loss to the LG Twins in the second game of the best-of-seven Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Monday.굿모닝토토
They won the first game 3-2 on April 7. The loss dropped them to 1-1 in the series.
Park Young-hyun took the loss. He gave up two runs on two hits (one home run) and one walk in ⅔ innings. In the bottom of the seventh inning with a 4-2 lead, KT pulled starter William Cuevas from the mound and brought in reliever Son Dong-hyun. After getting two outs, Son gave up a walk to Park Hae-min.
KT decided to make a pitching change. The next batter, Kim Hyun-soo, had been strong against Son Dong-hyun in the regular season, batting .400 (5-for-5) with two RBIs. Against Young-hyun, he was 0-for-2. This time was different. Park hit an RBI double off Kim Hyun-soo. First baseman Park Byung-ho did a good job of protecting the first base line but couldn’t catch the ball. In the meantime, Park Hae-min, who was responsible for Son Dong-hyun, scored. Son gave up one run and the score was 4-3. Park finished the seventh inning without allowing another run.
In the bottom of the eighth, KT turned to Young-hyun again. Despite his shaky performance in the previous inning, he was trusted once more. Park had runners on first and second with no outs after a walk by Oh Ji-hwan and a sacrifice bunt by Moon Bo-kyung. He threw a changeup to Park Dong-won for a two-run homer to left-center. The score was 4-5. KT brought in Kim Jae-yoon to pitch. Kim Jae-yoon closed out the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, they couldn’t capitalize on their last offensive opportunity. He gave up a triple to opposing closer Ko Woo-seok. The loss was finalized.
Park was not his usual self on this day. His pitches were jagged. One possible explanation is the aftermath of his injury. He was hit in the shin by a pitch during the first game. The pain was intense and the area was swollen. However, Park said, “I will prepare to pitch unconditionally. I can play the rest of the games.” “I have to sacrifice for the team to win. I will endure the pain and overcome it.”
Before the second game, KT manager Lee Kang-cheol also said, “I have a lot of bruises, but I can still throw. He played catch and said he could, so I think he’ll be ready.”
Park Young-hyun took the mound as promised. The result was not to be. It would be harsh to put all the blame for the loss on Park. The timing of Young-hyun’s substitution at the end of the eighth inning leaves something to be desired. After scoring four runs in the first inning, the offense missed all eight of its chances. Even though LG chased them down with one run in the third and one in the sixth, they couldn’t quench their thirst for more runs.
Lee’s faith remained unshaken. After the loss in Game 2, Lee said, “(Son Dong-hyun and Park Young-hyun) have done a good job so far. I think they’ll be fine with a day off tomorrow (Sept. 9),” Lee said.
Young-hyun Park had previously pitched five innings in relief in four of the five games of the best-of-three playoff series against the NC Dinos, going 0-2 with an ERA. He also pitched a scoreless inning in Game 1 of the Korean Series to earn the save. KT will play Games 3 and 4 at home at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on April 10 and 11. Park Young-hyun is expected to return to form.