From a 1-3 deficit to a miracle comeback: It began with the ace's complete game! KT's fate, perched on the brink with a "5.3% championship probability," rests on the bearded foreign investor [KS5 Preview]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Forty-one years ago in the United States, an ace's nine-inning complete game victory was the beginning of a miraculous comeback championship. In 2026 Korea, there is also a team that needs a similar reversal: the KT Wiz, cornered with a 1-3 record. The last hope to revive their weakest starting pitching rotation is foreign ace Davis Daniel (29).

KT will play Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (KS, best-of-seven) against the Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park at 2 p.m. on the 8th. After winning Game 1 and then losing three consecutive games, if KT loses again today, their bid for a unified championship for the first time in five years since 2021 will end.

The odds are slim to begin with. In the history of the Korea Series, only one team out of 19 instances has come back from a 1-3 deficit to win the championship, a rate of just 5.3%. Coincidentally, that sole successful case was Samsung in 2013. At the time, Samsung swept Games 5 through 7 against the Doosan Bears to claim the title.

For KT to counterattack, outstanding pitching from their starters is essential above all else, as it has been the most clearly exposed weakness in the last four games. In Game 1, Daniel led a victory with three runs allowed over six innings, and in Game 2, Ko Young-pyo (35) also pitched well, allowing just one run over seven innings.

However, the starting rotation wavered consecutively afterward. In Game 3, So Hyoung-jun (25) issued five walks through the second inning and allowed four runs, while in Game 4, Logan Allen (29) collapsed with six runs allowed in one inning.

To make matters worse, the bullpen is also unstable. In Game 1, KT led 8-0 but secured a narrow 8-7 victory after a chain of errors by the relief corps. Through Game 3, the bullpen's record, excluding closer Park Young-hyun (21), was seven runs allowed (six earned) over six and two-thirds innings, with an ERA of 8.10. In Game 4, the entire pitching staff wavered. KT's pitchers issued a whopping 12 walks and hit batters, setting a new Korea Series single-game team record for the most bases on balls in history.

In such times, what is needed is an ace starter covering long innings. Indeed, there is precedent in Major League Baseball history. In 1985, the Kansas City Royals trailed the St. Louis Cardinals 1-3 in the World Series.

However, in Game 5, then-23-year-old left-hander Danny Jackson threw a nine-inning complete game victory with five hits allowed, three walks, five strikeouts, and one run allowed, leading a 6-1 win. While not overwhelmingly dominant, he brought the momentum back to Kansas City, which was fading, by striking out all three batters in the seventh inning on just nine pitches.

Building on this, Kansas City won Games 6 and 7 with scores of 2-1 and 11-0, respectively, achieving a comeback championship. One pitcher's outstanding performance changed the flow of the series.

KT also expects such a performance from Daniel. Joining as a replacement foreign pitcher in August last month, Daniel recorded five wins, two losses, and an ERA of 2.13 in 10 regular season games. In Game 1 of the Korea Series, he held Samsung scoreless through six innings and even struck out 13 consecutive batters on ground balls.

This time, he takes the mound after a four-day rest. However, Lions Park, which is hitter-friendly for first-time visitors, is a variable. Ahead of Game 4, Daniel showed confidence, stating, "It is important to induce many ground balls in this stadium. I am not unfamiliar with small, hitter-friendly parks."

On the offensive side, Sam Hilliard's (32) role is crucial. Hilliard, who posted a .304 batting average, 44 home runs, and 139 RBIs in the regular season, is KT's most powerful power-hitting card. He contributed with three hits and two RBIs in Game 1, but the team lineup has struggled to generate power since then. The silver lining is that they have been strong against opposing starter Won Tae-in (26). Hilliard recorded a .385 batting average (five hits in 13 at-bats) against Won Tae-in this year.

Won Tae-in's physical condition could also be a variable. Having served as a reliever in this postseason, Won Tae-in threw 32 pitches over one and two-thirds innings in Game 2 on the 4th. As he returns to the rotation after three days of rest, the key will be how long he can maintain normal pitching. Samsung Manager Park Jin-man (50) stated, "Since we have faced Daniel once before, I expect our batters to handle him better than in Game 1," expressing his intent to clinch the championship at home.

On the other hand, KT Manager Lee Kang-cheol (60) declared a total effort strategy, saying, "If their physical condition is good, we will keep Ko Young-pyo, So Hyoung-jun, and everyone else waiting in the bullpen and throw them all out."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original