This is one of the greatest rebounds in KBO history. A team that was in 10th place through the first 50 games jumped to second place in 75 days. Ten consecutive winning series and an 8-to-1 (.808) second-half winning percentage. KT’s magical momentum shows no signs of stopping.토토사이트

With a 3-0 win over Hanwha in Daejeon on April 20, KT has now won 10 consecutive winning series, starting with the one against Gochuk Kiwoom on April 11. It is approaching the all-time record of 11 consecutive winning series, which was set twice by Samsung in 2005 and 2010. During this period, KT also had four three-game sweeps.

Through June 2, KT had a win-loss margin of -14 with 16 wins, 30 losses, and two ties (a .348 winning percentage), but after 80 days, the team is now 58-46-2 with a win-loss margin of +12 (a .558 winning percentage). Since June 3 against Suwon Doosan, the team has gone 42-16-1 (.724 winning percentage) in their last 58 games. The second half of the season, in particular, has been a blast, going 21-5 in 26 games with an .808 winning percentage.

Lee Kang-cheol, who has been leading KT for five years since taking over in 2019, said, “We went from -14 to +12, so we added 26 wins. (The second half) has an 8 percent winning percentage. Even I don’t understand it,” he said in amazement. KT has always been a team that comes from behind in the second half, even if they don’t start well, but this year it seemed like it would be really hard. Injuries to key players have plagued them since the beginning of the season, and they haven’t been at full strength since the start.

However, KT had the experience and strength to overcome the challenges. Coach Lee Kang-cheol, who credits his players for not giving up and rallying around the seniors, pointed to two things as key to the team’s rebound. William Cuevas, who rejoined the team in June as a replacement foreign pitcher, and infielder Lee Ho-yeon, who was acquired from Lotte in a trade in May.

Cuevas, who was part of the team’s first championship in 2021, has been anchoring KT’s starting rotation since his return, improving to 7-0 with a 2.81 ERA in 11 games (67⅓ innings). In the 11 games Cuevas has started, KT has gone 9-2. Lee Ho-yeon, who was only in the second team at Lotte this season, has also seen his baseball career blossom since joining KT. In 55 games, he batted 2-for-8 with 43 runs (152 hits), three home runs, 15 RBIs, and a .700 OPS.

Both signings were the result of quick decisions by the front office and shrewd moves by the staff. “Cuevas coming in and stabilizing the starting lineup is huge,” Lee said. In the beginning, Bo Schuler was not good and I had a headache. President Shin (Hyun-ok Shin) made a quick decision to replace him in a difficult situation. I’m grateful to the president.” “The Lee Ho-yeon trade was also a good move by general manager (Nado Hyun). When Lee and Cuevas came in, the atmosphere started to turn around.”

In the eight years since the 10-team system began in 2015, every team in last place through the opening 50 games has failed to make the postseason. Four of those teams finished in last place and never rebounded. KT’s situation was hopeless from the outside, but they didn’t give up internally. Not only the field, but also the front office did not give up and fired supportive shots. With the field and front office looking at the same place and working together, an unprecedented counterattack drama is being written in the KBO.