“Dynasty shortstop” Kim Sang-soo (33-KT Wiz) capitalized on two of his own errors to score the game-winning run, helping the Wiz advance to the Korean Series for the first time in eight years since 2015.
Kim Sang-soo started at first base in Game 5 of the best-of-five playoff series against NC in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on Friday. He has played leadoff for five consecutive games since Game 1.
Hasn’t done much at the plate in the last four games. In 17 plate appearances, he has gone 3-for-15 with a double and two RBIs. However, in the previous game, Game 4 on November 3, he was perfect in the leadoff spot. He went 1-for-3 with one run, one RBI, one walk, 온라인카지노 one stolen base, and one run scored to help his team tie the series at 2-2. Defensively, he was steady and reliable in Games 1 through 4, playing the role of fielding commander.
In the fateful Game 5,
Kim Sang-soo took over as the leadoff hitter and shortstop. However, in the third inning, with the score tied at 0-0, an unexpected disaster occurred. With no runners on base, Kim made a series of throwing errors that put runners on first and second base. While Kim Hyung-joon had the misfortune of being hit by an irregular boundary just before the pitch, Kim Joo-won’s error was a clear mistake. He lunged for a slow ball and failed to catch it. It was especially disappointing because Kim was a master of shortstop defense.
KT starter Wes Benjamin, who had been cruising, was hit by a pitch to load the bases against Son Ah-seop, and Seo Ho-cheol’s sacrifice fly to center field gave them the lead for good. It was a moment that gave them a run they didn’t need in the short game.
Kim Sang-soo also struggled at the plate. Starting with a grounder to center field in the first inning against NC starter Shin Min-hyuk, he followed it up with a grounder to center field in the fourth inning.
KT was down 0-2 going into the fifth inning.
In this series, all four games were won by the team that took the lead, so they were in danger of being eliminated from the postseason.
However, pinch-hitter Kim Min-hyuk hit a dramatic tying double with runners on first and third in the fifth inning, and Kim Sang-soo led off the sixth inning with a 2-2 tie and hit a single to right to make up for his earlier error. He drew a nine-pitch walk against Kim Young-gyu.
Kim then used his quick feet to steal second and third on Hwang Jae-gyun’s single to right, and came home on Anthony Alford’s groundout to score Park Byung-ho on a wild pitch to break the 2-2 tie. It was the final run that clinched the team’s spot in the Korean Series.
Kim Sang-soo wore the KT uniform after signing a four-year, 2.9 billion won contract with Samsung ahead of the 2023 season. He had two unexpected errors that day, but he made up for it at the plate and eventually made his long-awaited Korean Series debut after eight years since 2015.
It will be interesting to see if Kim Sang-soo, formerly known as the dynasty shortstop at Samsung, can lead KT to V2.