(LEAD) Opportunistic offense backs solid starter as Wiz stay alive in KBO postseason

All News 23:01 October 20, 2022

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SUWON, South Korea, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- As postseason victories go, the KT Wiz's 9-6 win over the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Thursday night was truly a team effort.

Six out of nine players in the starting lineup recorded at least an RBI. And those that didn't have one contributed in other ways, with No. 5 hitter Jang Sung-woo drawing two walks and No. 8 hitter Oh Yoon-suk putting down two sacrifice bunts at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul. No. 7 hitter Kim Min-hyuck went 2-for-3 before being lifted for Song Min-sub, who knocked in a run off the bench.

Park Byung-ho of the KT Wiz hits a double against the Kiwoom Heroes during the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 20, 2022. (Yonhap)

Thanks to their opportunistic and equal-opportunity offense, the Wiz knotted the best-of-five first round at 2-2. The deciding fifth game is 2 p.m. Saturday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, the Heroes' home.

Kang Baek-ho made a big splash for the Wiz on Thursday with a solo home run in the bottom third, which cut the deficit to 2-1. Kang also drew an intentional walk and had a couple of singles for his first three-hit game of this series.

Cleanup Park Byung-ho, playing on a gimpy right ankle, batted 4-for-5 with a run and an RBI against his former team. No. 3 hitter Anthony Alford picked up his first RBI of the series with a game-tying single in the fifth.

Hwang Jae-gyun, who was dropped from No. 2 to No. 7 in the lineup earlier in the series, belted a ringing two-run double off the left field wall out of the sixth spot in the bottom seventh.

All told, every starter except Oh Yoon-suk either had a hit or scored a run.

Park, who even legged out a double in the seventh despite being clearly hobbled, said it was the fastest sprint he'd had in recent weeks.

"We needed a run in that situation, and if I had to pull up at first just because I was hurting, I think it would have killed our momentum," Park said. "And fortunately, my ankle felt fine when I reached second."

Park, a veteran of 49 postseason games, said momentum can play a pivotal role in short series.

"The fact that we had contribution from up and down the lineup today should help us moving forward," Park said. "I think this is going to help us a great deal as we get ready for Game 5."

The potent bats made a winner out of starter So Hyeong-jun, who improved to 3-0 in his postseason career after allowing two runs in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Those two runs were one more run than the total So had given up in three previous postseason starts, covering 18 innings.

Kang Baek-ho of the KT Wiz hits a solo home run against the Kiwoom Heroes during the bottom of the third inning of Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 20, 2022. (Yonhap)

So looked shaky early on, as he allowed an RBI double to Lee Jung-hoo in the first inning. But the 21-year-old right-hander bent without ever breaking.

He pulled off some impressive escape acts in the third and fourth inning, with the Heroes leading and the entire series hanging in the balance.

Two singles followed by a throwing error from second baseman Oh Yoon-suk gave the Heroes a 2-0 lead in the third. They had runners at second and third, with the dangerous Yasiel Puig and postseason star Song Sung-mun due up next.

Following a mound visit, So fanned Puig on a two-seam fastball. Song then whiffed on a 1-2 curveball as So dodged a bullet after what could have degenerated into a messy inning.

Hwang Jae-gyun of the KT Wiz celebrates his two-run double against the Kiwoom Heroes during the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 4 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 20, 2022. (Yonhap)

Kang's solo shot cut that lead to 2-1 in the bottom third, but So again pitched into trouble in the fourth. A single and a walk had two men aboard for leadoff Kim Jun-wan, who had driven in three runs in Wednesday's 9-2 victory.

So made sure Kim wouldn't be the hero again Thursday, inducing an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play ball.

So sat down the next six batters in a row before the bullpen took over. Three relievers allowed four runs, but their offense bailed them out with eight runs over their final four frames.

So thanked his teammates for their run support, saying he wasn't worried about falling behind and was instead trying to focus on each and every pitch.

"We've had a great year so far, and I didn't want our season to end with a loss today," So said. "In the third inning, I limited the damage and set the table for my teammates to put on a rally. I gained a lot of confidence after that and was able to ride that wave."