KT Wiz, the hottest team in recent memory, is about to be put on the brakes. Injuries to key batters seem to have taken their toll.
After languishing at the bottom of the standings at the start of the season, with a win-loss margin of -14, KT went on a meteoric rise in June. They went 33-15 with a winning percentage of 0.688 and climbed up the standings.
July was just as good. They swept their way to 13 wins in 19 games to climb to fifth place, and then swept their way up to third place with a winning series against Hanwha on the 8th and 9th, bringing their win-loss margin to +7. This is the seventh consecutive winning series.
The problem is the next game. Park Byung-ho and Alford were injured in the 9th game. It was a red flag for the offense.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, down 1-5, Byung-ho Park hit a double down the first base line. He felt pain in his calf as he made the contact.
He didn’t go down immediately. While Jang Sung-woo struck out swinging, Hanwha catcher Choi Jae-hoon dropped the ball behind him. This allowed Hwang Jae-gyun, the third baseman, to score, and Park Byung-ho to advance to third.
Park Byung-ho then signaled for a substitution. He was replaced by pinch-hitter Moon Sang-chul.
“I think I felt something in my calf while batting,” said Lee Kang-cheol, who met with Park after the game was canceled due to rain on Tuesday, “I hope it’s not a big injury. He’s been hitting well lately,” Lee said, adding, “I’m worried.
According to KT officials, Park Byung-ho traveled to Seoul today for an MRI examination.
Alford is also not doing well. He was injured in the following situation. After Jang Sung-woo singled with one out, Alford stepped to the plate and was hit by a hard fastball from Hanwha starter Felix Peña. He winced in pain for a moment, but walked to first base. 메이저사이트
Alford then advanced to third on grounders by Kim Sang-soo and Oh Yun-seok, but as he tried to round home on a double steal, he bumped into Choi Jae-hoon’s knee and injured his left wrist. A video review overturned the out, but Alford was replaced on defense in the top of the fifth inning.
“We’ll have to see how he is tomorrow,” Lee said.
Unlike Park Byung-ho, Alford did not undergo a medical examination. It doesn’t appear to be a major injury.
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