“Baekho Kang seems to have lost a lot of weight. His face looks much more handsome now that he has lost weight. I also feel like he’s younger.”
KT Wiz head coach Lee Kang-cheol talked about Kang Baek-ho’s return to the first team in an interview before the game against the Kiwoom Heroes in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Wednesday. KT’s starting lineup was Kim Sang-soo (shortstop), Kim Min-hyuk (center field), Anthony Alford (left field), Park Byung-ho (first base), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Hwang Jae-gyun (third base), Lee Ho-yeon (second base), and Cho Yong-ho (right field). The starting pitcher is William Cuevas.
Kang is batting 2-for-7 with five home runs, 29 RBIs and a .768 OPS in 50 games (182-for-50) this season. After missing his last game against Lotte on March 6 due to illness, he was activated to the first team on March 11 and played one at-bat as a pinch-hitter on March 12. He will start today’s game as the No. 5 designated hitter.
Manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “I went to the game yesterday, and when I talked to him, he said he was fine, so I put him in the starting lineup. When I asked him if he was okay to return to the first team, he said he was fine and that he felt better overall,” Lee said. 꽁머니사이트
“I think he’s lost a lot of weight,” said Lee Kang-cheol, who said, “He looks much more handsome now that he’s lost weight on his face. I feel like he’s even younger,” he laughed.
Foreign pitcher Wes Benjamin earned the win in the 12th game with 7⅔ innings of six-hit ball, one walk, 11 strikeouts and two runs. “Yesterday, Ahn was throwing really good pitches, but Benjamin gave us an even matchup, so the hitters were able to attack him without losing focus,” Lee said. His pitches have definitely improved. My release point is a little different and my vertical movement is better,” said Benjamin.
Speaking about Kim Jae-yoon, who reached 150 career saves in the last game, Lee said, “He’s been struggling a lot. There were a lot of games where I had him pitch and put him in a difficult situation, but he did a really good job and achieved 150 saves. I think it’s a really meaningful record, like 100 wins. He started out as a starter and now he’s a successful closer. I want to congratulate him,” he said, congratulating Kim on his 150th save.