SEOUL - The KT Wiz is confronting the daunting challenge of overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five second round of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason against the NC Dinos, after falling in both home games in Suwon.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Wiz will now confront the Dinos on enemy turf at Changwon for Game 3 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and potentially Game 4 at the same time on Friday. A win in both games would allow the Wiz to host a decisive Game 5 on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Advancing to the Korean Series demands that the Wiz accomplish a reverse sweep, a feat only achieved twice in the KBO postseason’s history. Within 32 instances of the second round's best-of-five format, a team has taken a 2-0 lead 17 times. Only the 1996 Hyundai Unicorns and the 2009 SK Wyverns managed to turn their fortunes around after such a start.
The Hyundai Unicorns, a team that dissolved in 2008, were the first to achieve this reversal against the Ssangbangwool Raiders, another club that no longer exists. Despite losing the first two games with tight scores, they rallied to win the next three, though they were ultimately defeated in the Korean Series by the Haitai Tigers.
The Wyverns, now known as the SSG Landers, repeated this rare comeback in 2009 under the stewardship of Kim Sung-keun, who had been the Raiders' manager during the Unicorns' comeback. The Wyverns overcame initial losses with a stroke of luck and favorable weather conditions, but similar to the Unicorns, they didn't capture the ultimate prize, falling to the Tigers in the Korean Series.
The Wiz is now aiming to become the third team in KBO history to make such a comeback. With the series moving to the Dinos’ home ground and the pressure mounting, the Wiz will have to draw on the same determination and fortune that the Unicorns and Wyverns once did to keep their championship hopes alive.