"We barely held on" — even Lee Kang-cheol felt dizzy. On the 14th, in the top of the 6th inning at Gocheok Sky Dome, what changed for the last-place team targeting a .500 winning percentage in the second half?

*This content was translated by AI.

"The head coach of KT Wiz, which is currently leading the KBO regular season, Lee Kang-cheol (60), recalled a dizzying moment last week at Gocheok Sky Dome.

On the 18th, ahead of an away game against LG Twins at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, Coach Lee Kang-cheol remarked, "We barely held on against Kiwoom."

KT concluded a total of six consecutive away games — three against NC Dinos in Changwon and three against Kiwoom at Gocheok — with a record of 3 wins and 3 losses, finishing with a .500 winning percentage. In Changwon, where the starting pitchers from the first through third spots faced off directly, KT managed to win only the first game. At Gocheok, they won the first and third games. With this result, KT improved to 62 wins, 2 ties, and 39 losses, maintaining a one-game lead over second-place Samsung Lions.

The key to their success was the victory in the first game at Gocheok on the 14th. In that game, KT's Go Young-pyo allowed a walk to Seo Geon-chang after a nine-pitch battle in the top of the 6th inning and then gave up a leadoff home run to Matt Davidson, surrendering a 2-3 comeback lead. Indeed, the last-place Kiwoom posted an 11-win, 1-tie, 11-loss record in the second half, achieving a .500 winning percentage and showing a different performance compared to the first half.

Recalling that moment, Coach Lee Kang-cheol noted, "We were up against them in the lineup. If we just let them walk, it happens in the blink of an eye... (and they score). Davidson usually hits singles or doubles against us, rarely home runs. But even there, in the top of the 6th, they managed to take the lead, which was frustrating. Hiu couldn't play in the first game due to a back issue, but when he does play, he rarely allows runners to advance even with bases loaded."

Fortunately, Kiwoom scored four runs in the bottom of the 6th inning and added two more in the bottom of the 7th, securing an 8-3 comeback victory. However, they struggled throughout the three-game series. In particular, they lost the final two games in Changwon by comebacks, and the second game against Kiwoom was surrendered due to strong pitching by Ha Young-min, raising concerns that a four-game losing streak could have occurred. Coach Lee Kang-cheol sighed, "Our first through third starters pitched well in Changwon, but we couldn't capitalize. We were worried after giving up a home run and falling behind in the first game against Kiwoom, so winning that game was crucial."

On this day, LG constructed its lineup with Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (designated hitter), Moon Jung-bin (first baseman), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Park Dong-won (catcher), Lee Young-bin (third baseman), and Hong Chang-gi (right fielder). The starting pitcher was Im Chan-kyu.

In response, KT set its lineup with Choi Won-jun (center fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Ahn Hyeon-min (right fielder), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Kim Min-hyuk (designated hitter), Jo Dae-hyun (catcher), and Jang Jun-won (shortstop). The starting pitcher was So Hyoung-jun.

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*This content was translated by AI.