"It doesn't matter whether it's KIA or Samsung": KT's confidence with 90 wins, Manager Lee Kang-cheol says, "I hope whoever advances has fought hard to get here" [Suwon on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lee Kang-cheol (60), manager of the KT Wiz, who won the regular season title for the first time in five years, clearly stated that he does not care whether their Korea Series opponent is the KIA Tigers or the Samsung Lions, marking their second appearance in the postseason in two years. He believes that how well his team prepares is more important than analyzing the opponent's strength.

Ahead of a practice game against the Military Sports Agency (Sangmu) at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 27th to prepare for the Korea Series, Manager Lee Kang-cheol met with reporters and said, "The two teams have similar strengths. If KIA advances, there are aspects where they are fine because of KIA's characteristics, and if Samsung advances, there are aspects where they are fine because of Samsung's characteristics. Conversely, there are difficulties associated with KIA, and there are also difficulties associated with Samsung."

He further emphasized, "Rather than which team advances, it is better for the team that has fought hard to get here to advance. I don't have a preference for who should advance otherwise."

KT secured first place this season with a record of 90 wins, 5 draws, and 49 losses (winning percentage 0.647). This is their first regular season title in five years since 2021, and they are challenging for their second overall championship in franchise history. They engaged in a fierce race for the top spot with Samsung toward the end of the season, and also struggled at times, such as suffering a three-game losing streak against KIA in early September. However, during their away game in Gwangju on the 29-30, they proved their improved late-game resilience by securing consecutive comeback victories over two days.

Meanwhile, the playoffs (PO, best-of-five series) to determine the Korea Series opponent have also begun. On the 26th, KIA defeated Samsung 5-1 in Game 1 at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. Herold Castro hit a two-run homer and Han Jun-soo hit a solo homer, and the bullpen held onto the victory even after starting pitcher James Neal was ejected in the fifth inning for a headshot.

On the other hand, Samsung, who advanced directly to the playoffs as the second-place team in the regular season, managed only two hits and one run. Amid an approximately two-week break from competitive play, the batters failed to find their timing, resulting in a loss in the first game. In the history of best-of-five playoff series, the probability of the Game 1 winner advancing to the Korea Series is 77.1% (27 out of 35 times).

Manager Lee also watched the previous day's game. He smiled and said, "Since there was still a month left before those earlier games, I thought it was fine, but as the Korea Series gets closer, I feel like I'm paying a bit more attention to our games. Both KIA and Samsung are playing so well that we need to be wary of them."

The biggest concern for the team waiting is indeed competitive form. Samsung's loss in Game 1 offers implications for KT as well, who advanced directly to the Korea Series. However, Manager Lee recalled his experience during the Haitai era and emphasized the role of the pitchers. He explained, "Looking at how we have done this since the Haitai days, I think the reason we kept winning was that the pitchers found their form during that time. If the No. 1 and No. 2 starters are good, they can hold up for about two games, or until the batters face around 30 at-bats without hitting."

KT is also accelerating its preparations. Starting with the game against Sangmu on this day, they will play practice games against the U-23 national team on the 28th and the 30th. When asked about the core objective of the practice games, Manager Lee answered, "It's about form. It's not about maintaining it, but finding it."

In the practice game held shortly after, KT swept away Sangmu without hesitation, dispelling the manager's concerns. In the first inning, An Hyun-min selected eight pitches from Jin Seung-hyun with two outs to earn a walk, and Sam Hilliard smashed a two-run home run over the left field fence.

In the second inning, with two outs and a man on first after Kim Sang-soo walked, Han Seung-taek's line drive to right field and a hit-by-pitch to Jang Jun-won loaded the bases, and Choi Won-jun then pulled out a two-run double down the right field line. In the third inning, Hilliard's bat sparked again. An Hyun-min hit a line drive to center field against Jung Ji-heon, and Hilliard once again hit a large one-run RBI double over the right fielder's head, taking KT's lead to 5-0. As of the end of the top of the fifth inning, KT is leading 5-0.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original