KT Wiz’ left-handed foreign pitcher Wes Benjamin, who was caught in a slump, harvested 4 wins (3 losses) this season.
Benjamin started an away game against the LG Twins in the 2023 professional baseball KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 16th and scored 5 runs in 6 innings.
Benjamin, who entered the KBO league as a substitute for William Cuevas last year and posted an ERA of 5-4 and an average of 2.70, has been in a deep slump this season. Before this match against LG, his record was 3 wins, 3 losses, and an average ERA of 5.65. In particular, in the match against Suwon NC Dinos (4-16 KT loss) on the 9th, which was just before the LG match, he showed his worst pitch with 5 hits, 4 walks, 5 runs and 3 earned runs in 3.1 innings.
On this day, Benjamin allowed a rather large number of runs, but was supported by the batting line, which exploded hotly with 15 hits and 12 points. Coming off the mound with the team leading 10-5, he eventually won his 4th win of the season as KT did not allow a tie and won 12-7.
The beginning was uneasy. He allowed big innings from the bottom of the first inning. He dedicated an infield hit to Park Hae-min, and also allowed Moon Seong-joo to go on base due to a catch error by the first baseman. Benjamin then struck out Park Dong-won, but with a double steal, he was driven to 1st, 2nd and 3rd base. Fortunately, he guided Austin Dean with a grounder from third baseman and caught Park Hae-min, who was rushing home, and seemed to breathe, but Oh Ji-hwan scored a right-handed 1 RBI hit, and Kim Min-seong dedicated 3 stores over the left fence. It was comforting that he tied Jung Joo-hyun with a fly in right field and did not concede an extra run.
In the bottom of the second inning, Benjamin found some stability. Leading batter Lee Jae-won gave up a right-handed hit, and Kim Ki-yeon sacrificed a bunt to reach 1 out and 2 base, but Park Hae-min (first baseman grounder) and Moon Seong-joo (left fielder fly) were put to rest. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Park Dong-won (strikeout), Austin (center fielder fly), and Oh Ji-hwan (first baseman ground ball) increased the outcount and made his first tripartite inning that day.
Benjamin, who was fighting hard, conceded again in the bottom of the fourth. Kim Min-seong and Jung Joo-hyeon were treated with a fly for third base and a fly for center fielder, respectively, but Lee Jae-won hit a solo arch over the left-middle fence. Fortunately, he struck out Kim Ki-yeon and did not give any more atmosphere.
The bottom of the 5th inning was neat. Park Hae-min and Moon Seong-joo struck out and pitched grounders. In particular, in Moon Seong-joo’s at-bat, Benjamin himself showed his earnestness by throwing his body to tag the batter runner after catching the ball. Afterwards, he walked Park Dong-won, but struck out Austin to end the inning.
Benjamin, who was on the mound in the bottom of the 6th inning, completed his mission that day by inducing Oh Ji-hwan (second baseman grounder), Kim Min-seong (strikeout), and Jung Joo-hyun (strikeout) all to hit.
The final score was 6 innings, 5 hits, 2 home runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts and 5 runs. His total number of throws was 88, and his highest velocity was measured at 149 km. The 7 strikeouts are also his all-time record for most strikeouts this season 스포츠토토.
However, it is difficult to see that Benjamin has fully rebounded yet. He not only gave up a lot of runs, but also allowed several sharp hits. He also struggled with extra-base hits, as evidenced by his two home runs.
In any case, he took the victory and cut off the bad atmosphere. There is no better medicine than a pitcher who is in a slump. Attention is focusing on whether Benjamin will be able to fight well in the next appearance.