KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol did not give up hope after losing Games 2 through 4 of the best-of-seven Korean Series (KS).
“We gave up a run early in the game and couldn’t catch up, so the game went completely out of hand,” Lee said at a press conference after losing the fourth game of the 2023 KBO KS 4-15 at Katie Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, on the 11th to take a 1-3 series lead.
When asked about his attitude for Game 5, he said, “It’s a cliffhanger anyway,” and added, “We won three in a row after losing two in the playoffs (PO). We might have some good momentum. I will prepare well and try to win.”
KT dropped games 1 and 2 in the PO against the NC Dinos, but won games 3, 4, and 5 to dramatically qualify for KS.
When asked about the starting pitcher for Game 5, Lee avoided answering, saying, “The date (for the announcement) hasn’t been made yet.”
On the day, KT fell behind 0-3 in the first inning when starting pitcher Uhm Sang-baek was shaky and gave up two runs and added another in the fifth.
KT quickly mobilized its bullpen, bringing in closer Kim Jae-yoon in the fifth inning, but the bullpen collapsed and gave up a lot of runs.
“I brought him in to give him confidence in a comfortable situation,” manager Lee Kang-cheol said of the early decision, adding, “I couldn’t let the game slip away.”
When asked why he didn’t use set-up man Park Young-hyun, he said, “There was no reason to use him because the score gap (widened).”
“My hamstring (muscle in the back of the thigh) is a little bit elevated,” he said about the condition of foreign batsman Anthony Alford, who was replaced in the third inning after complaining of pain in his right groin area. 파워볼사이트
