"(Kang) Baek-ho is doing well, so that's good." Students visit the dugout on Teachers' Day; Coach Lee Kang-cheol responds with a remark [Suwon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz head coach Lee Kang-cheol (60) welcomed former students who visited him on Teachers' Day.

KT announced its starting lineup ahead of the home game against Hanwha Eagles at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 15th for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

On this day, KT set its batting order as follows: Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Kim Sang-soo (second baseman), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Jang Sung-woo (designated hitter), Bae Jung-dae (center fielder), Han Seung-taek (catcher), and Lee Kang-min (shortstop). The starting pitcher is Ko Young-pyo.

Before the game, a familiar yet unfamiliar surprise guest visited the KT dugout. They were shortstop Sim Woo-jun (31), who moved to Hanwha two years ago, and Kang Baek-ho (27), who went to Daejeon last year. Sim Woo-jun and Kang Baek-ho were franchise stars representing KT until they moved to Hanwha via free agency.

Sim Woo-jun made his first-team debut with KT in 2015, and Kang Baek-ho in 2018; together they achieved the franchise's first unified championship in 2021. Recognizing their achievements, Sim Woo-jun signed a four-year contract worth up to 5 billion won, and Kang Baek-ho signed a four-year total contract worth 10 billion won, with a one-year gap between their free agency moves. Notably, Kang Baek-ho, who visited Suwon KT Wiz Park for the first time since his move, expressed gratitude by distributing 1,000 drinks to fans of both teams before the game.

Before the game, Coach Lee Kang-cheol, who met with reporters, said with a smile, "I plan to drink the coffee Kang Baek-ho distributed after the game," and began by saying, "It's good that Baek-ho is doing well."

Sim Woo-jun and Kang Baek-ho, who had disappointing results compared to expectations last year, are fulfilling their roles as starting shortstop and designated hitter this year. Sim Woo-jun has recorded a.266 batting average (94 at-bats, 25 hits), 2 home runs, 14 RBIs, 21 runs scored, and 5 stolen bases in 31 games, with an on-base percentage of.373 and a slugging percentage of.372, solidly supporting the pitchers from behind.

Kang Baek-ho is leading the Hanwha lineup from the cleanup spot with a.338 batting average (157 at-bats, 53 hits), 8 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 27 runs scored in 39 games, posting an on-base percentage of.413 and a slugging percentage of.561. In response, Coach Lee Kang-cheol joked, "They must perform well for the money they received. If they fail again, people will say, 'Players who left KT can't do well,' or 'KT never signs FA players.' They need to succeed elsewhere so our players can also move to other teams. If people start saying, 'These players can't do well outside KT,' won't they avoid signing FAs?"

Before the game, KT held first place with 24 wins, 1 draw, and 14 losses, leading second-place Samsung Lions (23 wins, 1 draw, 15 losses) by one game. While praised for their stable pitching and hitting balance, KT recorded a losing series with 1 win and 2 losses in a three-game series against SSG Landers during the week.

Over three days, KT allowed 25 runs and scored 29 in a high-scoring battle. Hanwha, whom they are meeting now, also recalls a season-opening three-game series where they scored 36 runs and allowed 23 in a slugfest, already causing headaches. Coach Lee Kang-cheol stated, "It was fortunate that we won those three games back then. At that time, both Hanwha and we had unorganized bullpens. It was a process of adjusting, and Hanwha appears to be developing Park Jun-young and other fast pitchers. Now that both we and Hanwha have somewhat organized our teams, I don't think it will happen again."

The revitalized foreign hitter Hilliard is a reliable asset. Hilliard has led the KT lineup, which was without Ahn Hyun-min, with a.375 batting average (40 at-bats, 15 hits), 6 home runs, and 14 RBIs in 11 games in May. Coach Lee Kang-cheol replied, "We've gained the power to catch up. It seems Hilliard has gained a lot of confidence, so (the last three-game series) was good in many ways. Heo Kyung-min is also performing well after coming up to the first team. He's hitting well, but it will take about another week for his previously unbalanced muscles to properly build up."

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*This content was translated by AI.