The KT Wiz made South Korean baseball postseason history Thursday by becoming the first No. 5 seed to win the wild card.
Their manager Lee Kang-chul said he doesn’t want to stop.
They blanked the Doosan Bears 1-0 in the second wild card game of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. As the lower seed, the Wiz had to win two straight games on the road to make it out of this stage, while the Bears, No. 4, seed, only needed a tie or a win in two chances.
The Wiz took Wednesday’s opener 4-0 to force the second game and then rode Wes Benjamin’s seven shutout innings for the narrow win Thursday.
KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul (C) bumps fists with center fielder Bae Jung-dae (R) after the Wiz defeated the Doosan Bears 1-0 in the Korea Baseball Organization wild card game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 3, 2024. (Yonhap)
KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul (C) bumps fists with center fielder Bae Jung-dae (R) after the Wiz defeated the Doosan Bears 1-0 in the Kore
a Baseball Organization wild card game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 3, 2024. (Yonhap)
“I didn’t expect him to pitch this well,” Lee said of Benjamin, who had struggled in September to an 8.34 ERA to close out the regular season. “I figured he was maybe due for a good game, but nothing like this. And we did not give up a walk for two straight games. That is huge. It’s going to fuel us going forward.”
Benjamin followed rotation mate William Cuevas’ six scoreless innings from Wednesday. Cuevas also had not pitched well late in the regular season but became a completely different pitcher once the postseason began.
“Those guys made me want to cry late in the regular season, and I think they are just trying to force us to re-sign them for next year,” Lee quipped.
The Wiz have set a few records along the way this fall. They won the first-ever fifth-place tiebreaker game against the SSG Landers on Tuesday just to make the wild card stage, and then became the first No. 5 seed to advance.
They also
became the first team to win two consecutive wild card games without allowing a run.
“With the fans behind us, we want to keep setting records,” Lee said.
Doosan Bears players walk off the field after losing to the KT Wiz 1-0 in the Korea Baseball Organization wild card game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 3, 2024. (Yonhap)
Doosan Bears players walk off the field after losing to the KT Wiz 1-0 in the Korea Baseball Organization wild card game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 3, 2024. (Yonhap)
The losing manager for the Bears, Lee Seung-yuop, said he felt “devastated” afterward.
“We didn’t score in both games. That was big,” Lee said. “We struck out too often, and we weren’t sharp enough when we had scoring chances. We didn’t get a big hit when we needed one.”
Lee, widely considered one of the greatest sluggers in KBO history, has wrapped up his second season as manager but is still without a postseason win. Last year, the Bears were the No. 5 seed and lost to the NC Dinos in the f
irst wild card game to be eliminated.
Lee said the Bears have been relying too heavily on veterans on the wrong side of 30, as younger players have not been able to step up. Players from the Bears’ championship teams from nearly a decade ago, such as shortstop Kim Jae-ho, third baseman Heo Kyoung-min, outfielder Jung Soo-bin and designated hitter Kim Jae-hwan, were all in the starting lineup for the past two games.
“There is too much of a gap in talent between the starters and the backups,” Lee said. “That has to be narrowed in order for us to become a better team.”
As for one final message to fans, Lee said, “I am really sorry. I still have long ways to go. The players did their best.”
After Thursday’s loss, there was a smattering of boos as the Bears walked off the field, and a few fans chanted, “Lee Seung-yuop, get out!”
Source: Yonhap News Agency