One big swing sealed the win.
KT’s momentum is unstoppable. On the 15th, the team enjoyed a thrilling 1-0 victory over Doosan in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League 꽁머니 at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. As expected of a team with the best second-half record (17-4), they roared through a difficult game. It was a great start to the week for the team, which has already won eight consecutive series. They also won three in a row, improving their season record to 54-2-45. They’re still in third place. However, they’re putting relentless pressure on second-place SSG.
Before this game, KT was in third place and Doosan was in fifth place. Each team is preparing for a last-minute spurt in the second half of the season, making every game count. The actual game was also tight. It was a hotly contested match from the start. Both KT’s William Cuevas and Doosan’s Raul Alcantara continued their strong pitching performances. Together, they pitched seven shutout innings in a masterpiece. Cuevas gave up two hits, two walks and struck out seven, while Alcantara gave up four hits and struck out six.
It was a close call. The tense balance was broken in the top of the eighth inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, the ninth batter in the order hit a double to right field off Park Chi-guk. Kim Min-hyuk stepped up to the plate. He sent the ball deep into center field. Jeong Soo-bin threw himself to catch it, but couldn’t reach it, and the runner at second base was able to score safely. Kim Min-hyuk then stole second and third to reach home. However, he was thrown out on an accurate replay by Doosan’s Yasujin.
This season, Kim Min-hyuk has been carving his name in stone. In 85 games, he’s batting .309 (93-for-301) with 36 RBIs. He is so trusted that it is difficult for the manager to take him out of the lineup even when he is physically tired. On this day, he also sang the team’s victory song with a celestial hit. Kim Min-hyuk said, “I was aiming for a changeup on the first pitch, but the fastball came in and the timing was late. I expected the next pitch to be a fastball, and the (runners) were fast, so I thought I’d just hit it to the center,” he said.
It wasn’t without disappointment. He tried his best to run home, but it didn’t work out. “I actually thought I was going to live at home after stealing second base,” Kim said. I also thought I was going to hit a ground ball for the first time in my life,” he said honestly. However, he also said, “I died too easily. My brothers said my feet slowed down after rounding third base,” he laughs. After the home run, he held his shoulder in pain, but shook it off and got up. “It was hard, but I feel fine,” Kim said.