KT Wiz was caught in the foot by Cuevas, whom they trusted.
Because the opponent was so strong, victory could not be guaranteed. But I had no idea it would collapse so vainly.
For KT Wiz, Cuevas’ poor performance in the first game was shocking. It was a shock that could have an impact on the entire series in the future.메이저사이트
KT, ranked second in the regular season, lost 5 to 9 in the first round of the playoffs against NC Dinos held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 30th. There were many factors in the loss, but ace Cuevas’ collapse early on had a big impact.
KT finished the regular season in second place and took 19 days off to prepare for the playoffs.
Even during the long preparation period, one thing remained constant. The starting point for the first game was Cuevas. He played as KT’s ace from 2019 to 2021, and was a special ace who led the combined championship in the 2021 season. Last year, he was kicked out due to injury, but in the middle of this season, he received a special mission to save the team in crisis and wore the KT uniform again.
He did not disappoint expectations. He stood at the center of a magical journey with his unbelievable ‘crazy performance’.
Starting with the game against the Samsung Lions on June 17th, he pitched in 18 games with 12 wins, no losses, and an ERA of 2.60. KT, which had fallen to the bottom in June, produced a miracle season, rising to second place amid Cuevas Magic. Coach Lee Kang-cheol gave the credit to Cuevas. It was such an impactful performance.
It was a win in the last four games of the regular season. I threw a ball that my opponent couldn’t hit. So I was even more excited about fall baseball. There was even more interest as it was a match against Peddie, who had set a record of 20 wins and 200 strikeouts for the first time in 37 years.
However, this exciting and highly anticipated match ended in vain.
Every inning was difficult. As soon as the first inning started, Cuevas got consecutive hits from Son Ah-seop and Park Min-woo and gave up his first run. In the second inning, Oh Young-soo was even allowed a solo shot. Cuevas, who pitched 114⅓ innings this season and gave up only 4 home runs, was hit by ambusher Oh Young-soo at a very important moment.
In a post-game interview, KT Wiz coach Lee Kang-cheol cited a breakdown in composure due to excessive motivation as the first cause of Cuevas’ early slump, saying, “I put too much effort into it in the first inning. I think I tried to throw too well.”
Second, the defense didn’t even help.
In the 3rd inning, he lost power due to an error by third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun and gave up 2 runs, and in the 4th inning, he threw a bad ball while handling a bunt, completely ruining the game. 7 runs in 3 innings. The earned runs were 4, but it was clear that it was the worst pitching.
The highest speed of his fastball was 154km. He was well rested and his performance itself seemed to be no problem.
The final decisive reason was the disappearance of the blade control shown during the season. His precise pitching sense seems to have dulled slightly due to the long break.
Unlike Peddie, he was at a disadvantage in the count battle as the ball did not go in as he wanted. The skill of the NC batters, who throw the bat without being greedy and take team batting, is also the reason Cuevas struggled.
Before the first game against NC, Cuevas showed great confidence, saying that he was the best pitcher. But his reality was not easy. The energy of NC batters, who swept through the wild card game and semi-playoffs like a typhoon, was even greater.