"It is all my fault," said Lee Kang-cheol, who expressed deep regret as KT Wiz's bullpen was thrown into a "down to the wire" crisis. Go Yeong-pyo and So Hyoung-jun are both on standby.

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

KT Wiz, the regular season champions, faced a "down to the wire" crisis of being one loss away from elimination in the Korea Series for the first time since the Doosan Bears in the 2018 season. The manager sighed with self-reproach over invisible errors and an excessive number of walks that occurred at crucial moments.

KT lost 5-10 to the Samsung Lions in the 4th game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (best-of-seven) held on the 7th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park. After winning the 1st game, KT suffered three consecutive losses, bringing their series record to one win and three losses. Just one more loss will turn their dream of a combined championship for the first time in five years since 2021 into a pipe dream.

In the history of the Korea Series, the probability of a team trailing 1-3 after the 4th game coming back to win the series is only 5.3% (1/19). Manager Lee Kang-cheol's face was filled with deep regret as he stood before the extremely narrow path of having to win all games from the 5th to the 7th.

Upon entering the official press conference room after the game, Manager Lee reviewed the scene of giving up a large number of runs in the bottom of the first inning. "The start in the top of the first inning (when we scored first) was really good, but we made the matchup with player Koo Ja-wook too difficult," he said. "We tried not to give up one run, but it led to a large number of runs allowed, and combined with invisible errors, we gave up six runs and completely handed over the momentum."

It was not that there were no opportunities to find a clue for a comeback. However, the lineup fell silent at every decisive chance. Manager Lee pointed out, "The flow was such that our lineup could have caught up well, but we got stuck in the at-bats of Kim Sang-su and Heo Kyung-min, and ultimately gave away the lead."

When reporters asked about the timing of pinch hitter usage, he candidly revealed the bench's complex deliberations. After acknowledging, "I really thought a lot about using pinch hitters," Manager Lee said, "It was not easy to make substitutions because we had calculated the infield defensive arrangement to send Kim Sang-su to shortstop in order to preserve Ryu Hyun-in. In fact, those players hit the ball incredibly well during practice and seemed to be in good condition, but unfortunately, the results did not go our way," saying with a bitter tone.

Above all, it was most painful that the KT pitching staff, which had the fewest walks in the regular season, self-destructed due to poor control. When asked about the cause of the excessive number of walks, Manager Lee placed all the responsibility on himself.

Manager Lee bowed his head, saying, "Unlike during the regular season, it seems the players' confidence has dropped significantly. We were the team with the fewest walks in the regular season, but seeing so many walks come out like this, it is all my mistake and my fault."

Now there is no place to retreat. Regarding the reason why Go Yeong-pyo, their ace card saved for winning situations, was not used because the score gap did not narrow on that day, Manager Lee explained, "We had him on standby yesterday, and today he was also on standby for consecutive pitching. The game unfolded in the first inning, so there was no chance to use him. If we had caught up to 7-5, we would have put him in immediately, but additional runs were allowed, so ultimately we could not use him."

He then declared a "total mobilization" for the pitching staff deployment in the fateful 5th game to be held on the 8th. Manager Lee set up a desperate situation by saying, "If their physical condition is okay, we will put everyone, including Go Yeong-pyo and So Hyoung-jun, on standby in the bullpen and throw them all in."

KT, standing at the edge of a cliff, must head toward the slim 5.3% miracle. It is quite intriguing whether the bullpen total mobilization card of Go Yeong-pyo and So Hyoung-jun, as foreshadowed by "Steel Magic," will become the fuse for a comeback in the 5th game.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original