KT WIZ’s Uhm Sang-baek (26) has won two straight games. Uhm credited the defense and the lead of catcher Jang Jang-woo for the victory.
At 6:30 p.m. on March 3, the right-hander threw 95 pitches over seven innings, allowing one run, six hits, two walks and five strikeouts to earn his fifth win of the season. The KT Wiz defeated the SSG 3-1 to extend their winning streak to six games.
In the top of the first inning, Uhm doubled off leadoff hitter Choo Shin-soo. He then got Choi Jun-woo to ground out to first base, but Choo Shin-soo was able to reach third base in the meantime. Uhm then gave up a fly to center field to Choi Jeong. It was a shallow hit, but as soon as the third baseman saw that the ball was caught, he tried to rush home. However, the center fielder made a precise throw to home to cut him off.
With the help of the defense, Uhm Sang-baek gave up a run in the top of the third inning when Choi Ji-hoon singled and stole second, followed by Choo Shin-soo’s missed double. But he got Choi Jun-woo and Choi Jung to pop out to shortstop to end the inning.
The fourth inning was perfect. Uhm retired three batters in both the fourth and fifth innings. In the sixth inning, he gave up a single to Choi Jun-woo, but retired all three batters he faced. In the top of the seventh, he faced runners on second and third, but struck out Choi Ji-hoon to complete his Quality Start Plus (3 earned runs or less over 7 innings).
After the game, Uhm said, “I didn’t have a good start, but the defense helped me a lot. (Jang) Sung-woo’s lead was also good, and in the second half, I was able to find a good balance and overcome.”
“I was lucky in the beginning. I threw a lot of strikes and induced a lot of in-play hits. In the second half, I used the energy I had saved and the result was good.”
With the win, KT WIZ extended its winning streak to six games. Coincidentally, the start of the six-game winning streak was on July 28 against the NC Dinos, when Uhm Sang-baek became the winning pitcher after two months. 메이저사이트
“Before that, I had no luck. My heart was heavy because I couldn’t record a win every time I pitched, but I’m happy that I was able to win six straight games, starting with my victory.”
“Of course, I received a lot of help from the defense, but I still want to pick out (Jang) Sung-woo,” said Uhm.
He went on to praise Jang’s pitching. “His pitch mix is really good. He throws with almost 100% confidence. Other pitchers also praise (Jang) Sung-woo’s lead a lot,” showing his unwavering trust in his catcher.
Meanwhile, KT WIZ, which has won six straight games, will now play the Doosan Bears for third place on April 4.