“Wouldn’t the fans like it too?”
KT Wiz pulled out a knife. On the 9th, foreign pitcher Bo Schulser (29), who was unable to escape the sluggish trend, was released, and William Cuevas (33) was recruited as a substitute.스포츠토토
Cuevas is a foreign pitcher who decorated a page in kt history. From 2019 to last year, he recorded 33 wins, 23 losses, and an average ERA of 3.89 in 486⅓ innings in 82 games, and has been together for a long time. In 2021, he took on an axis of the starting lineup and made a significant contribution to the team’s first combined victory.
This year, he played for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, a minor league Triple-A team affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went 2-2 with a 6.14 earned run average in 44 innings in 11 games (9 starts). His superficial performance is not outstanding, but considering the characteristics of the highlands where the minor leagues are held, it is a decent record. Cuevas, who had mutual interests, was called by kt and boarded a plane to Korea.
KT coach Kang-Cheol Lee explained the background to the re-recruitment of Cuevas ahead of the Kiwoom Heroes match in the ‘2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League’ held at Suwon kt Wiz Park on the 9th. He said, “I want to play a good player, but there is no pool as a whole, as are other teams. It is a situation where (major league clubs) do not give good players.”
He added, “We know Cuevas’ pitch well. He can adapt as quickly as possible. Injury is a problem, but he passed (medical check) well. He threw 75 pitches before entering the country.”
Shulser was sluggish and could not hold the center of the starting lineup as a foreign pitcher. A situation where a lot of expectations are expected from the experienced Cuevas. However, the command tower took a cautious approach.
Coach Lee said, “(With positive changes such as stabilizing the starting lineup), you shouldn’t get too far ahead. Still, if Cuevas and Wes Benjamin (29) take their place, Koh Young-pyo (32) and Eom Sang-baek (27) are getting better, so it’s down to the game. I think I can play the game. If the other line scores, I will somehow endure it. The middle is also stabilizing. I think it will be a fun game,” he explained.
Is there anything you want from Cuevas? In response to a reporter’s question, “I have high expectations that Cuevas will bring back good memories of winning the championship,” the command tower revealed his thoughts.
Coach Lee said, “That’s all you need to do. I received a lot of love here, and I wonder if the fans will like it… I heard that there was contact from another team, but the player said ‘I want to play with kt’. I think that’s true. I have a degree with the players, and I wonder if there will be something about winning. When I left, the cheering podium welcomed me. There was no player sent like that… I think I was impressed in that respect.”
As of the 9th, kt has won the first 6 consecutive wins of the season and is in 7th place in the league (22 wins, 2 draws and 30 losses). It is a ‘5’ difference from the 5th place (Doosan Bears), which can advance to the postseason. I wonder what effect the return of Cuevas, a loyal man who knows the taste of victory, will bring to the team.