KT Wiz Look to Ace Wes Benjamin to Even KBO Postseason Series Against NC Dinos in Game 2

General

SUWON, South Korea — Facing a critical juncture in their postseason aspirations, the KT Wiz are set to deploy their left-handed ace Wes Benjamin against the NC Dinos in Game 2 of their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) second-round series.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Wiz lost to the Dinos 9-5 in Game 1 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of Seoul, on Monday night. The team managed to produce only a single run against the Dinos’ starting pitcher Erick Fedde. In contrast, their own starting pitcher, William Cuevas, conceded seven runs in just over three innings of work.

Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., once again at KT Wiz Park, with Benjamin taking the mound for the Wiz. The Dinos plan to counter with pitcher Shin Min-hyeok, aiming to gain a decisive edge in the best-of-five series.

During the regular season, Benjamin posted a 15-6 record with a 3.54 ERA. However, his performance against the Dinos was less than stellar. In his three starts against the team, he had a 5.65 ERA, his worst against any opponent this year. He gave up 12 runs, three of which were unearned, on 17 hits in 14 and 1/3 innings.

The Dinos’ first four batters—Son Ah-seop, Park Min-woo, Park Kun-woo, and Jason Martin—each garnered three hits against Benjamin during the regular season, further highlighting the challenge that lies ahead for the Wiz.

On the other side, Dinos pitcher Shin Min-hyeok made a striking postseason debut in the previous round against the 2022 champions, the SSG Landers, on Oct. 22. The 24-year-old threw 5 2/3 shutout innings, giving up only four hits against a Landers team that led the regular season with 125 home runs.

In his five regular-season games against the Wiz, Shin recorded a 2-2 win-loss record and a 3.70 ERA in 24 and 1/3 innings. Wiz players Kim Min-hyuck and Moon Sang-chul each hit a home run against him. Specifically, Kim had a batting average of .364 against Shin and scored four times.