A foreign player, even a pitcher, threw himself toward first base to tag the opposing player. The main character who showed a sense of responsibility was Wes Benjamin (30), the first starting ace of KT Wiz.
KT Wiz won 12-7 in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO league away match against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium (8,567 people) in Seoul on the 16th. With this victory, KT escaped from two consecutive losses, and finally stepped on the hill of 10 wins (2 draws, 22 losses) in the season and prepared a foothold for the last place. The ride with 9th place Hanwha was also narrowed to 1.5 games. On the other hand, LG ended its two-game winning streak, marking 22 wins and 14 losses.
The KT selection안전놀이터 on this day was Benjamin. Benjamin, who was on the mound with Jung-chaek, who had to end his two-game losing streak. However, he showed a shaky appearance from the first inning, allowing a three-run four to Kim Min-seong along with an error by the defense team. In the first inning, the run was 4, and the earned run was ‘0’.
In the 3rd inning, while the team lineup scored 5 points, Benjamin allowed Lee Jae-won a solo shot to tie the score at the bottom of the 4th inning. But the downside was that. In the end, he succeeded in achieving 4 wins (3 losses) in the season by fighting hard with 5 hits (2 home runs), 1 walk, 7 strikeouts and 5 runs (1 earned) in 6 innings (88 pitches).
There was one particularly impressive scene. LG’s attack at the end of the 5th inning with KT leading 9-5. A situation where there is no one runner. The batter for LG is Moon Seong-joo. The ball bounced heavily and headed between the first baseman and the pitcher. And it was Benjamin, the pitcher, who ran toward this ball, not the first baseman or the second baseman.
Benjamin sprinted towards the first base foul line. The moment he caught the ball, Moon Seong-ju also ran toward first base with all his might. After the catch, Benjamin’s choice was a direct tag, not a first base toss. Moon Seong-joo, who usually plays diligently on base, was fast. In the end, Benjamin threw himself at Moon Seong-ju. He managed to tag Moon Seong-ju and the like. Afterwards, Benjamin took a big roll and fell. result out. His uniform became muddy.
And blood was flowing from his right elbow. But he didn’t seem to notice that there was blood either. He didn’t even call a trainer. He didn’t care about the bleeding and continued his pitching in silence. It was a bloody fighting spirit. On the mound in the 6th inning, he completed his mission that day by disposing of the LG lineup in three ways.
Blood is flowing on the elbow of KT starter Benjamin. SPOTV relay capture
After the game, KT coach Lee Kang-cheol, who was the ‘winner’, praised him, saying, “Starter Benjamin allowed big innings in the beginning, but after that, he found stability and fulfilled his role.” Manager Lee said, “The bullpen pitchers who came out afterward also blocked them well with minimal runs. In the other lineup, veterans led the attack and showed concentration in the top and bottom lines. I think it will help the team’s strength. Thank you to the fans who came to cheer for the away game. I will show you how to do my best in every game. The players also worked hard, “he promised to promote.