'A Dagger at the Former Team' Doosan Benjamin's Honest Thoughts: "A Complex Mix of Good and Bad Emotions..." [On-Site Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

"When I pitch for my former team, I have to force myself... I think I need to hold back from now on."

This was said jokingly by KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) ahead of the Jamsil Doosan Bears game on the 26th. The next day (27th), it was revealed that the Doosan starting pitcher would be Benjamin (33). Benjamin had recorded 31 wins over three seasons (2022–2024) with KT before returning to the KBO League stage in April as a replacement for Doosan's Flexen (32).

Manager Lee added, "Alcantara (34·Kiwoom Heroes) also usually throws at 150 km/h, but when he faces us, he suddenly throws 157 or 158 km/h... and reportedly gets extremely angry when he gets hit by us," while smiling. He then added, "It's a good thing that he came back well after leaving us and earned a lot of money," offering his well-wishes. Alcantara also began his KBO career with KT in 2019, played for Doosan (2020, 2023–2024), and has been with Kiwoom since last year.

The 27th Jamsil Doosan-KT game arrived. Benjamin delivered a stellar performance of 7 innings with 2 hits allowed and 0 runs, striking a 'dagger' into his former team. In particular, after allowing hits to Hilliard and Jang Sung-woo in the bottom of the 2nd inning, he shut out the remaining 5 innings without allowing any hits. KT managed only 3 hits in total and suffered a decisive 0-5 defeat.

After the game, when asked about his feelings facing KT for the first time, Benjamin honestly replied, "I had a complex mix of good and bad emotions," and added, "I tried not to worry too much and maintain my composure. I focused a lot on emotional control, and I'm grateful that it led to a good result."

He continued, "It was strange to face batters from my former team. I played in games like the spring training intra-squad matches a few years ago, but the situation is very different now, so I felt a strange emotion. However, there have been changes among the team members, and there are many good players, so I tried my best to concentrate and pitch."

He also revealed his deep affection for his former team, saying, "I visited the KT side yesterday (26th), but I couldn't meet many people. I didn't want to interfere with the KT players' training, so I just greeted a few players and left. I plan to visit again tomorrow (28th)."

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*This content was translated by AI.