The runner who left the house seemed to have forgotten how to enter the home. The KT Wiz fell into a 9-game losing streak in 7 years amid a terrible scoring gap.
Prior to the Suwon Samsung match on the 30th, KT was mired in 8 consecutive losses. The biggest problem was the scoring position. It ranked 9th in team batting average (.224) and runs scored (27 points), and 8th in scoring strike percentage (.176), while double play (10) and missed base (83) ranked first. Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “Players who have left the house do not come in. I play the board well, but I can’t score,” he sighed. In response, Yuhan-jun, who was the main player in the championship two years ago, was promoted to the first-team batting assistant coach for Futures, but it did not seem to have much effect.
There was no reversal in Gyeonggi-do on the 30th. In the beginning, the initiative was taken by KT. However, many chances were destroyed due to scoring vacancy. In the first inning, Hong Hyun-bin, the lead, reached second base with an infield hit and a balk, then Jang Seong-woo and Kim Joon-tae made two runs with consecutive walks, but Hwang Jae-kyun struck out on a swing and missed.
In the 4th inning, Seong-Woo Jang, the leader, hit a double, and Joon-Tae Kim, a walk, set the table for 1st and 2nd base safely. Afterwards, Oh Yoon-seok from the 2nd, 1st and 3rd basemen, which led to Hwang Jae-gyun’s fielder selection, made a hit, but swallowed regret as it was blocked by third baseman Kim Young-woong’s diving catch.
In the 6th inning, he also cried over the silence in the scoring zone. Leaders Alford and Kim Jun-tae walked and were on 1st and 2nd base. However, Hwang Jae-gyun struck out looking and pinch hitter Kim Min-hyeok canceled another chance with a ground ball to first baseman.
KT seized the opportunity to take the lead메이저놀이터 in the 7th inning again with Shin Bong-gi’s walk and Kang Baek-ho’s heavy hit. Song Min-seop, the runner-up to Kang Baek-ho at 2nd, 1st and 3rd base, succeeded in stealing 2nd base and became 2nd and 3rd base. However, Alford was unable to bring a runner home as he stopped at center fielder’s fly ball.
Even after one out in the last 9th inning of regular innings, KT set the table for 1st and 2nd base with Kim Sang-soo hitting right and Hong Hyun-bin walking, but pinch hitter Moon Sang-cheol left fielder and Alford stopped shortstop ground ball.
KT, who missed numerous chances, lost 0-1 with Kim Jae-yoon dedicating a painful final solo home run to Oh Jae-il after one out in the 10th inning, which was 0-0. In the 10th inning, Seong-Woo Jang hit the lead and Jae-Kyun Hwang walked on base, but Kyung-Soo Park, a pinch hitter, struck out and Yun-Seok Oh ended the game with an infield ground ball. It was the moment when the 9th consecutive loss was confirmed.
It is only 2451 days since the match against Masan NC on August 13, 2016, when KT was coach Beom-hyun Cho, that KT lost 9 consecutive losses. At that time, it was KT’s second year in the first team, and its power had not yet been completed. After repeated trial and error, KT finally won the combined championship in 2021 and rose to the ranks of the strong team. This is why this nine-game losing streak comes as a bigger shock.
Coach Lee Kang-cheol, the ‘winning command tower’, suffered 9 consecutive losses for the first time after taking the KT baton in 2019. The biggest crisis came after his appointment.