Can the ‘monthly winning percentage leader’ KT Wiz end August on a four-game winning streak?
Head coach Lee Kang-cheol’s KT will host the Samsung Lions of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League on Aug. 31 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon. Wes Benjamin will start alongside Hong Jung-woo.
With Taylor Widener, who was originally scheduled to start, unable to take the mound, KT will go with “alternate starter” Hong Jung-woo. “When I came out (to the ballpark) in the afternoon, the manager called me in the morning to tell me that the starting lineup had been changed,” Lee said.
KT’s starting lineup was as follows: Choi Jae-dae (center field), Hwang Jae-gyun (third base), Anthony Alford (left field), Park Byung-ho (designated hitter), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Oh Yoon-seok (first base), Lee Ho-yeon (second base), Shin Bon-ki (shortstop), and Ahn Chi-young (right field).
Most notably, Park Byung-ho was in the starting lineup for the first time in 22 days since his last start against the Suwon Hanwha Eagles on April 9. He had been sidelined with a calf injury until the Lotte Giants in Busan on the 27th, but from that game onward, he became part of the center field lineup. Although he hasn’t recovered to the point where he can play defense, it’s a big boost for the team to have him in the lineup.
However, the team is not planning to rush things. “I’m going to start slowly,” Lee said. I’m thinking about two or three at-bats, and I’m running about 70 percent of the time,” Lee said of how he plans to utilize Park Byung-ho.
Lee also mentioned Oh Yoon-seok, who will be playing first base defense today. Oh is batting .397 with 29 doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs in 73 at-bats over 27 games in the second half of the season, and he has earned a passing grade for his defense. “We have a starter,” Lee said with a laugh, before adding, “He’s so good. He’s hitting the ball well,” he said with satisfaction.토토사이트
Coincidentally, there were five players in the starting lineup, including Oh Yoon-seok, who came through Lotte: Hwang Jae-gyun, Jang Jang-woo, Lee Ho-yeon, and Shin Bon-ki. Except for Hwang Jae-gyun, the other four players came to KT via trade. “We’re making good use of those players,” Lee smiled.