The Korean Baseball Organization’s (KBO) Korean Series (KS) starting rotation has been outlined.
Foreign pitchers William Cuevas and Wes Benjamin will start Game 2 and 3, while Uhm Sang-baek will start Game 4.
“The fourth game of the KS will be a bullpen day,” KT manager Lee Kang-cheol said before the team’s game against the LG Twins in the first round of the 2023 KBO on Sunday at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, adding, “Uhm Sang-baek will go first rather than excluding (starting resources).”
“If Uhm Sang-baek starts Game 4, the starting pitchers for Games 5, 6, and 7 of the KS can go out normally after five days of rest,” he explained.
According to Lee, Cuevas will pitch Games 2 and 6, while Benjamin will pitch Games 3 and 7. Game 1 starter Ko Young-pyo will be available for Game 5 on the 13th after a five-day break.
Game 4 starter Uhm Sang-baek is a surprise.
After ending the regular season early with a broken rib in August, Uhm focused on his recovery and made his first appearance against Cheong Wa Dae on the 27th of last month before the playoffs (PO).
After checking his pitching performance, Lee Kang-cheol decided that the pitcher was not back to his normal level, so he used him in the bullpen for the PO.
However, Uhm showed signs of recovery in the fourth game of the NC and PO on the third day.
“He’s not in shape to throw a lot of pitches right now, but he should be able to throw about 50 pitches,” Lee said.
“I originally thought about using Uhm Sang-baek (as a starter) for today’s game, but then I could only use Benjamin, who is strong in LG, once, so I changed it,” Lee added.
Lee Yeob-sung, who was expected to start, will play the role of “long relief” behind Uhm Sang-baek.
On the day, Uhm and Lee also pitched in the bullpen before the game to improve their physical condition.
Meanwhile, KT’s starting batting order was Kim Sang-soo (shortstop), Hwang Jae-gyun (third base), Anthony Alford (left field), Park Byung-ho (first base), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Bae Jeong-dae (center field), Moon Sang-chul (designated hitter), Park Kyung-soo (second base), and Cho Yong-ho (left field).
Lee explained why he chose Park Kyung-soo to start instead of Oh Yoon-seok, who has a good batting average, saying, “Ko Young-pyo, who is starting today, is a groundball-inducing pitcher, so I deployed him for stable defense.” 파워볼사이트