KT WIZ’s Moon Sang-cheol (32), who could have been the cause of the team’s Korean Series (KS) defeat, became the hero who led his team to victory.
Moon hit a game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning of a 2-2 tie against the visiting LG Twins in the first round of the 2023 Baseball World Series at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Sunday.
Moon’s worst play of the day came in the top of the second inning when he fell behind 1-2.
He bunted with runners on first and second after an error and a single to left field, but the ball landed right in front of the catcher. It was a clear error.
LG threw the ball to third and first for two outs, while the runner on first, Choi Byeong-dae, was caught running from second to third.
It was the second triple by KS in the history of baseball.
In fact, Moon had a history of bunting trauma: He failed to squeeze bunt with runners on first and third in the bottom of the ninth inning of the second game of the playoffs against the NC Dinos, and in the third game, he tried to bunt with runners on first and third in the fourth inning and was thrown out.
KT manager Lee Kang-cheol blamed himself, saying, “Moon Sang-chul bunted well in training, but I think I stressed him out.”
After the PO, Moon made a bunting mistake in KS, and he couldn’t keep his head up.
Moon was mentally shaken.
In his second at-bat in the top of the fifth inning with the score tied at 2-2, he struck out swinging against Casey Kelly, and in the seventh inning, with runners on first and second, he struck out swinging again against Lee Jung-yong, the new pitcher.
But Moon wouldn’t be deterred. Manager Lee Kang-cheol didn’t use a pinch-hitter to give the team a chance to make a comeback, and Moon lived up to his faith.
In the top of the ninth inning, with the score tied at 2-2 and runners on first and second, he blasted a timely double over the left-field fence off starter Ko Woo-seok.
On a 2-2 pitch count, he took a six-pitch curveball for a long ball.
KT took the first game of the series with a 3-2 victory over LG thanks to Moon Sang-chul’s RBI single.
It was a game that started with Moon Sang-chul and ended with Moon Sang-chul. 슬롯게이밍