‘Fateful Game 5′ Manager Kang Myung-hwa pulls out knife! ’14 hits without a hit’ Martin demoted to 6th, Seo Ho-cheol to 2nd…KT is the same as in Game 4
The NC Dinos, led by Kang Myung-ho, and the KT Wiz, led by Lee Kang-chul, revealed their starting lineups for Game 5 of the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ playoffs at NC Park in Changwon on Friday.
NC, which lost two games after winning two, made significant changes to its starting lineup. Son As-seop (designated hitter), Seo Ho-cheol (third baseman), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Park Gun-woo (right fielder), Kwon Hee-dong (left fielder), Martin (center fielder), 온라인카지노 Oh Young-soo (first baseman), Kim Hyung-joon (catcher), and Kim Joo-won (shortstop) were the starting lineup.
Martin, who went 0-for-14 in the playoffs, was moved down to the sixth spot, while Seo Ho-cheol, who was hitting at the bottom of the order, was moved up to second.
NC will start the game with Shin Min-hyuk on the mound. Initially, ace Eric Peddy was expected to start, but Peddy has not yet recovered from the effects of fatigue. This left the team’s fate in the hands of Shin Min-hyuk.
Still, Shin is NC’s fall baseball hero this year
He has started two postseason games and pitched 12 scoreless innings. On March 22, he took the mound in Game 1 of the semifinals and threw 5⅔ innings of one-hit ball, striking out three and walking none. Kang neutralized the SSG bats with efficient pitch count management and a combination of his cutter and changeup. He set the stage for the upset and the miracle.
Myung-ho took the mound in the second game of the playoffs against KT on March 31, pitching 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball with one walk and two strikeouts in a 3-2 victory. His 12 scoreless innings in the postseason made him the “Fall Guy,” and his team won both games.
NC was on a roll, winning six straight postseason games until the second round of the playoffs. However, in Games 3 and 4 at home, the aftermath of the push was evident and they were swept. Their mood was down and their physical strength was down. NC will need to build momentum for a reversal today.
KT, led by Lee Kang-cheol, was pushed to the brink after losing the first and second games, but the batting lineup, which was stagnant after a three-week break, came back to life in two games, getting into the fall mood. A six-inning no-hitter by homegrown ace Ko Young-pyo in Game 3 and a strong outing by Game 1 starter William Cuevas in Game 4 on three days’ rest kept the Dinosaurs’ bats in check.
KT manager Lee Kang-cheol went with the following starting lineup:
Kim Sang-soo (shortstop), Hwang Jae-gyun (third base), Anthony Alford (left field), Park Byung-ho (first base), Jang Jang-woo (catcher), Moon Sang-cheol (designated hitter), Oh Yoon-seok (second base), Jeong Jae-dae (center field), and Cho Seong-ho (right field).
No changes from Game 4.
The starting pitcher for KT, which is looking to advance to the Korean Series for the first time in two years, is foreigner Wes Benjamin.
Benjamin’s record in 2023 was 15-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 29 games, ranking second in wins behind NC’s Eric Peddy (20) in his second season in the KBO.
However, his record against the NC in the regular season was weaker, with a 3-1 record and an ERA of 5.65.
He also took the loss in Game 2 of the playoffs on May 31, allowing three runs on four hits (one home run) in five innings with two strikeouts. Benjamin was given four days of rest before being given the big job of starting Game 5.
KT Wiz Park in Suwon was under the influence of fall rains throughout the morning
KT prepared for the rain by covering the infield with a tarp early in the day, but puddles formed in the outfield, bullpen, and infield foul territory, making it difficult to start the game. The home team KT players kept a close eye on the weather as they practiced indoors.
At around 11:30 a.m., the rain stopped falling hard and the sky cleared. The rain forecast for Jowon-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon, where the stadium is located, was pushed back to 6pm. If the Korea Meteorological Administration’s forecast holds true, Game 5 will start as normal without any weather changes.