"If we don't have them, we'll just have to make do without" From a June record of 11 wins and 12 losses to the departure of three pitchers for the Asian Games, ending with a 10-game winning streak: Why the anticipation is building for the Wizard Army's "third Korea Series"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The KT Wiz's first-place finish in the 2026 regular season was far from an unbroken, dominant run from start to finish.

Key position players were sidelined all at once, and as the pitching staff wavered, there were months when the team's winning percentage fell below .500. In September, when the race for the top spot was at its most intense, two starting pitchers and the closer simultaneously departed for the Asian Games.

Even so, KT finished the regular season with a record of 90 wins, 5 draws, and 49 losses, posting a .647 winning percentage. This marks the franchise's single-season record for most wins and highest winning percentage, as well as the most wins among any team to finish first in the regular season during the 2020s. KT opened an eight-game lead over second-place Samsung Lions and concluded the season with a franchise-record 10-game winning streak. The reason anticipation is high for KT's second championship, having advanced directly to the Korea Series (KS) for the first time in five years, lies in that journey.

The first major hurdle arrived early. After starting 3-4 months with a 19-9 record and running near the top of the standings, KT saw Ahn Hyun-min (23) and Heo Kyung-min (36) suffer hamstring injuries on the same day in mid-April. To make matters worse, Ryu Hyeon-in (26) was also sidelined with a finger fracture.

Even after losing their core hitter, starting third baseman, and infield backup all at once, the manager remained calm. At the time, KT Manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) said, "If we don't have them, shouldn't we just make do without?" In practice, KT weathered the storm by giving opportunities to existing players such as Jang Jun-won (31), Oh Yun-seok (34), and Bae Jung-dae (31). Even in April, with Ahn Hyun-min and Heo Kyung-min out, the lineup maintained its power, recording three instances of a full nine-hitter game.

A greater crisis came in May and June. After slowing to a 13-1-11 record in May, KT posted an 11-12 record in June, recording the season's only sub-.500 monthly winning percentage. As rivals surged ahead, KT dropped as low as third place by the end of June.

In particular, the pitching staff wavered. Foreign ace Caleb Bosley (33) suffered a shoulder injury in early June and was given a four-to-six-week rehabilitation prognosis. Oh Won-seok (25) struggled with a 9.69 ERA in June, leading to discussions about his removal from the starting rotation. The bullpen's ERA for May and June also reached 5.72.

While the pitching staff wavered, it was the offense that held KT up. Recording a team batting average of .290 in May and June, the lineup made up for runs allowed by the pitchers. Existing pitchers, including Go Yeong-pyo (35), maintained the rotation, while bullpen resources such as Park Young-hyun (23), Woo Kyu-min (41), and Joo Gwon (31) held the fort.

KT immediately rebounded in July with a 14-1-4 record (.778 winning percentage), but faced its final major hurdle in September as the standings battle reached its peak. Starting pitchers So Hyoung-jun and Oh Won-seok, along with closer Park Young-hyun, were called up to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games national team. KT had to leave two spots in the starting rotation and the ninth inning vacant all at once, which was the season's biggest variable for a team competing neck-and-neck with second-place Samsung.

Once again, other players filled the voids. Bae Jae-sung (30), who had been pushed out of the starting competition, pitched 34⅔ innings in seven games after September, posting a 1.30 ERA and striking out 30 batters. Kim Jung-woon (22), returning from a long injury, also recorded a 2.50 ERA in 17 games during the same period, adding strength to the bullpen left without Park Young-hyun.

KT did not merely endure the period with its key pitchers absent. The team recorded a 17-1-6 record (.739 winning percentage) in September, actually solidifying their lead at the top of the standings.

Catcher Han Seung-taek (32), who watched that process from home plate, reflected, "Every team goes through losing streaks, but how much you shorten that period is what matters." He added, "Great players like (So) Hyeong-jun, (Oh) Won-seok, and (Park) Young-hyun were gone, but because there were many good players behind them, we had the strength to endure."

After taking two days of rest following the end of the regular season, KT began training in preparation for the Korea Series on the 15th. Following a schedule of two days of training and one day of rest to build their bodies, the team will play three practice matches starting on the 27th against the National Military Service Corps (Sangmu) and the Korean national baseball team for players aged 23 and under. Starting November 2, KT will challenge for its second championship in history in a best-of-seven Korea Series.

The Korea Series is different from the regular season. There are many variables, including game feel after a long break and unexpected slumps or injuries that may arise in a short series. However, KT has already experienced various forms of absences this year. And what was confirmed over those 144 games was that the strength of the Wizard Army lay in keeping that time short, even when crises arrived.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original