“I was confident.”
KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-cheol heaped praise on catcher Kim Jun-tae ahead of his team’s game against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Jamsil Stadium on Friday.
Kim started at catcher in the eighth spot in the lineup in the last game (April 4 against Doosan in Jamsil). Kim used his strong shoulders to neutralize Doosan’s bats.
It started in the bottom of the fourth inning. He sniped Heo Kyung-min, who was going from first to second base, for the final out. The highlight came in the sixth inning. With no outs and the bases loaded, Lee took the pressure off the starting pitcher, Choi Yeo-seong.스포츠토토
KT took the lead in the inning and held on for a thrilling 4-3 victory. With the win, they moved up one spot to third place in the standings.
Before the game, Lee spoke about Kim Jun-tae, saying, “It was important that he caught two runners (stealing), and the mood of the (opponent) went away at once. It ended with a strikeout (Kang Seung-ho) and an infield fly (Song Seung-hwan). Good job,” he praised.
In response, Kim Jun-tae said, “My confidence was low at the beginning of the season because I couldn’t catch a stolen base, but at the end of last month (July 27) against the LG Twins, I caught (Park Hae-min) stealing, which gave me more confidence. I was praised in the dugout for ‘breaking the flow’ and ‘doing a good job’. It’s been a long time since I’ve played, but I don’t think I can’t do it. I’ve always been confident, so I think it’s a good result,” he smiled.
The KT outfield, including Kim Sang-soo, led the team to victory with solid defense. Reporter Byun Hye-mi
Not only Kim Jun-tae, but the whole team’s concentration shone through. In the bottom of the second inning, Bae Jeong-dae handled Jose Rojas, who was rushing home from second and third base, to prevent a run from scoring. Anthony Alford chased down a big hit from Yang Seok-hwan with runners on first and third in the bottom of the third to keep the damage to a minimum. In the seventh inning, Kim Sang-soo made a spectacular leaping catch of Jung Soo-bin’s fastball at first base.
Lee praised the team for staying focused in the sweltering heat, saying, “You’re doing so well. Well done,” and gave them a thumbs-up.
KT Day 5 Starting Lineup
Alford (left fielder), Moon Sang-chul (designated hitter), Hwang Jae-gyun (third baseman), Park Byung-ho (first baseman), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Kim Sang-soo (shortstop), Oh Yoon-seok (second baseman), Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), Ahn Chi-young (right fielder), and starting pitcher Wes Benjamin (11-3, 3.79 ERA in 107 innings).