LG Twins wrote a back-and-forth drama. LG's combined championship odds increased from 25.6 percent to 44.4 percent.
LG came from behind to win 5-4 in the second game of the Korean Series against the KT Wiz in the '2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason' at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on April 8. LG was hoping to end its two-game home stand with a 2-3 loss in the first game and four runs in the first inning of the second game, but it turned things around with a hard-fought win in the second game.
LG, which finished first in the regular season, had seen its chances of winning the title drop to 25.6 percent after being swept by KT in Game 1. It had been 29 years since they last won the title in 1994, and their hopes of winning the Korean Series had been dashed. LG's chances of winning the title increased to 44.4 percent by taking Game 2. Of the 18 teams in the history of the Korean Series that have lost Game 1 and won Game 2, eight have gone on to win the title. Dropping Game 2 would have reduced their chances of winning by 10 percent.
KT ended an undefeated streak in the Korean Series. KT advanced to its first Korean Series in 2021 and lifted the trophy after sweeping the No. 4 Doosan Bears in four games to win the coveted "Miracle" title. The Bears were undefeated until Game 1, when they came from behind in Game 2 to suffer their first Korean Series loss.
LG's starting lineup was Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Austin Dean (first baseman), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Moon Sung-joo (left fielder), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The best lineup was the same as the first game.
The first baseman Hong Chang-ki didn't get a hit in Game 1, going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, but he was trusted with the leadoff duties in Game 2.
The starting pitcher was Choi Won-tae. Choi Won-tae is the starter LG acquired in a midseason trade with the Kiwoom Heroes for prospects Lee Ju-hyung and Kim Dong-gyu and a first-round pick in the 2024 rookie draft. It was a "win now" move for the team, which broke with its tradition of nurturing prospects to challenge for the grand championship 29 years after its last title in 1994.
However, Choi Won-tae did not perform exceptionally well after his move to LG. He started nine games, going 3-3 with a 6.70 ERA in 44⅓ innings pitched. He was eventually sent down to the second team to rebuild and refine his changeup. In the postseason, he will have to prove why he was selected by LG. Choi appeared in one game against KT this year, giving up two runs in three innings.
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "I think he's done his job if he gives a quality start. In the pennant race, it's the same thing, keeping them within three runs, and we had games where we had to score five runs to win. I think it's the same for the postseason," he said, hoping the bats would come alive a little more.
KT's starting lineup was Kim Sang-soo (shortstop), Hwang Jae-gyun (third base), Anthony Alford (left field), Park Byung-ho (first base), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Bae Jeong-dae (center field), Moon Sang-chul (designated hitter), Shin Bon-ki (second base), and Cho Yong-ho (right field).
The only change from Game 1 was the second baseman. In Game 1, Park Kyung-soo batted eighth and played second base, while Shin started in Game 2.
KT manager Lee Kang-cheol said, "We always rotate the second base position like this. (Shin) Bong-ki has good experience in the Korean Series. He hit a home run in 2021, and his feel is not bad. His defense is also good. Actually, I don't start him because he's behind (Kim) Sang-soo, and if Sang-soo is out, he's the only one who can play shortstop, so I don't start him often, but Sang-soo is not in bad shape. In the worst case scenario, (Hwang) Jae-gyun could go to shortstop again. With that in mind, I started Bong-ki."
The starting pitcher was William Cuevas. The ace made two starts in the playoffs, going 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in nine innings pitched, helping the team advance to the Korean Series. While he suffered a setback in Game 1 of the playoffs against the NC Dinos on March 30, giving up seven runs (four earned) in three innings, he pitched a six-inning no-hitter in Game 4 on March 3 to help the Dinos turn the series around from a two-game deficit to a three-game winning streak.
"I think it's a wrist height issue right now," Lee said. When his wrist drops a little bit, the balls are going sideways on his cutter and sideways on his changeup, so he's getting a lot of cuts. The last thing I told him was that I wanted him to keep his wrist up a little bit. The changeup was falling to the bell, which was frustrating, but when the changeup came in, it was all cut," he said, adding that he hoped he could fix the problem and pitch well today.
KT broke down Choi Won-tae from the start. More precisely, Choi broke himself. In the top of the first inning, Won-tae Choi walked leadoff hitter Kim Sang-soo on a straight ball. Hwang Jae-gyun followed with a single up the middle, and Anthony Alford walked again to load the bases. Yoon wasted no time in ordering Lee Jung-yong to warm up in the bullpen.
Choi Won-tae did not live up to expectations. With the bases loaded, he managed to get one out when Park Byung-ho grounded out to the third baseman, keeping Kim Sang-soo at home. However, the next batter, Jang Jang-woo, gave up a two-run double to left field to give Korea a 0-2 lead.
Yoon immediately made the decision to change pitchers. Choi Won-tae handed the ball to Lee Jung-yong. With runners on first and second and three outs, Lee gave up a double to left-center field, scoring both of Choi Won-tae's runners. The score was now 0-4. LG's mood, which had already sunk after losing the first game, became even heavier when they gave up a bunch of runs in the first inning.
Choi was pulled after giving up four runs on 20 hits and two walks with no strikeouts in ⅓ of an inning. When Yeom acquired Choi Won-tae in a trade in July, he said, "My blood is pierced. I've been having sleepless nights lately. I was wondering how to solve the starting lineup. It's like a blockage has been removed. It gives me a lot of options," he said.