“It’s been a long time since I played in the Korean Series.”
For KT Wiz infielder Kim Sang-soo, November 5, 2023, could have been a nightmare. In the fifth game of the best-of-five playoffs (PO-5), with the team’s fate in the Korean Series on the line, he committed two errors in a row.
After playing 1020⅓ innings at shortstop this season and committing only six errors, he made two errors in one game. Coincidentally, the errors led to the first run of the game. Kim Sang-soo was not happy.
But KT handled the situation well. Wes Benjamin pitched five innings of two-run ball, Kim Min-hyuk hit a game-tying RBI single, and reliever Son Dong-hyun worked out of a bases-loaded jam.
Then, Kim Sang-soo’s “breakthrough” led to the team’s victory. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Kim Sang-soo, who led off the inning, drew a nine-pitch walk and came home on a single by Hwang Jae-gyun and a double by Park Byung-ho to complete the comeback. The game ended 3-2, and Kim scored the game-winning run to send the team to the Korean Series. What could have been a nightmare turned into the best day of his life.
After the game, Kim said, “It had been a long time since I hadn’t made an error, but I had one after another in the PO, and my mentality broke down. I felt really sorry for Benjamin, and I thought that the team was falling apart (because of me), so I thought, ‘This is a big deal,'” he said, reflecting on his mistake. “I got a hit and scored the winning run, so I’m glad for that. I’m glad I was able to help the team win a little bit.”
A ticket to the Korean Series after a series of twists and turns. Kim also waited eight years for this moment. Kim Sang-soo is a veteran of five Korean Series appearances in the early 2010s. He was part of a dynasty with the Samsung Lions. However, he was cut off from the Korean Series when Samsung fell into the dark ages after 2016, and he didn’t reach his peak until last year. Then, in the 2023 season, he found a new home as a free agent with KT, where he thrived in his first year. 토토사이트
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played in the Korean Series. The feeling is new,” he said. It had been a long time since he had played before. “In the Korean Series, I will work hard to play good defense and survive in any batting order so that the team can win,” he said.