| KT’s Baekho Kang (left) and KIA’s Socrates Britto. Newsis |
‘If you live, we live.’
4th place KT and 5th place KIA will play the first round (best of two) of the post-season Shinhan Bank SOL wildcard match at Suwon KT Wiz Park at 6:30 am on the 13th.
KT starts with “a win”. Even a draw would get them into the semi-playoffs. On the contrary, KIA was pushed to the brink. This is why KIA manager Kim Jong-guk declared an all-out war before the first game.
Kang Baek-ho and Socrates Brito hold the key to this year’s wild game. KT’s major hitter Baekho Kang has sustained big toe and hamstring injuries this season and finished the regular championship with a batting average of 0.245, 6 homers and 29 RBI. Most importantly, the sensation of hitting has diminished recently. In six games played in October, Kang Baek-ho averaged 0.174 without a home run.
The foreign hitter from KIA Socrates also lost the pace. Socrates has left an outstanding record this season with a batting average of 0.311, 17 homers and 77 RBI. However, his performance since September has dropped to .270 with 4 home runs and 17 RBI in 29 games. Notably, after September 24, when the rest of the game began, his batting average of 0.125 in nine games and only one home run hit.
Both are at the center of the team’s batting line in this wild card playoff. Only when they explode can they rise to an advantageous position in the game. The coaches of both teams are desperate for the relaunch of the two players. KT manager Lee Kang-cheol prayed for Kang Baek-ho’s rebound, saying, “How frustrating can I be? He’s a player to be played in the postseason.
Kang Baek-ho scored 0.200 and 2 RBI in eight games against KIA this year. Socrates beat 0.263 with 2 homers and 8 RBI against KT. His batting average of 0.263 is the worst of the other nine teams.
Journalist Jeong Se-young
