Even with an 11-3 lead, "finish appearance → 5 out saves..." Bittersweet victory "Middle pitchers, it would be nice to raise their condition further." [the scene of Jamsil]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz head coach Lee Kang-chul couldn't just smile even with the victory.

KT beat LG 11-7 in the opening game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 28th.

He overwhelmed the winning team with 18 long and short hits. KT is also ahead in concentration. After two outs in the top of the first inning, he hit five consecutive timely hits to bring down LG starter Yoni Chirinos from the mound.

Lee Kang-min (19), a high school graduate rookie, was definitely outstanding. He hit a two-run timely double for the first pitch from his first at-bat, and then scored two more hits and flew with three hits and two RBIs in five at-bats. Lee Kang-min's three hits are the second three hits in the opening game of a high school graduate in KBO history since Jang Sung-ho (the match against the two university players) on April 13, 1996.

In addition, Heo Kyung-min hit 3 hits and 1 RBI in 5 at-bats, and Sam Hilliard hit 3 hits (one home run) in 4 at-bats with his first home run in the KBO. Ryu Hyun-in and Junghoon Lee also marked two hits and one RBI in five at-bats and two hits and two RBIs in three at-bats, respectively.

After the game, head coach Lee Kang-chul said, "I'm happy to give the fans a victory in the regular season opener. He showed his concentration evenly in the upper and lower batters. After two outs in the first inning, he made a big inning with consecutive hits, bringing the atmosphere of the game." "I was able to solidify my victory with a double RBI by rookie Lee Kang-min, who had three hits today, and an additional RBI by Junghoon Lee in the fourth inning," he said.

But it wasn't a very satisfactory game. Starting pitcher Matt Sauer was content to barely secure the victory by allowing five hits (one homer) with five walks and one strikeout and three runs in five innings after poor control of the ball.

Han Seung-hyuk, who was expected to be a must-win group, gave up four hits, one strikeout, and two runs in ⅔ innings, and Kouki Sugimoto gave up three hits, one walk, and two runs in ⅓ innings. As a result, he had to worry until the end of the game with an 11-3 lead until the top of the seventh inning. Still, closer Park Young-hyun took the mound with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning and pitched one ⅔ scoreless inning and five out saves to tie the game.

Manager Lee Kang-chul said, "The number of pitches was high due to the shaking of control in the early stages of the starting Sauer. However, he did his part by winning the ball. The middle pitchers expect to pitch better if they improve their condition a little more," he said.

Meanwhile, 23,750 full-capacity spectators flocked to Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the same day. The other four stadiums were also sold out, and KBO succeeded in selling out all the opening stadiums for the fourth consecutive year. Coach Lee Kang-chul said, "I would like to thank the fans who came to the away game and cheered enthusiastically. The players also did a great job," he said.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.