I loved Kang Baek-ho for his gold medal and Lee Kang-cheol for his coaching... but it's such an empty ending.

 "I'm sure Baek-ho Kang is relaxed after winning the gold medal. It's a big win for us ahead of the postseason."

At the end of the regular season, KT Wiz head coach Lee Kang-cheol had a big smile on his face. His team had gone from a "bombing" atmosphere at the beginning of the season, when it looked like they were going to finish last, to a miraculous comeback to finish the regular season in second place. Lee was rewarded with a three-year contract before the postseason had even begun, one of the best deals a coach can get.

In addition, the team's signature stars, Kang Baek-ho and Park Young-hyun, the future of the mound, won gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games. In particular, Lee attached great significance to Kang Baek-ho's medal win. "He played a good role as a senior at the Asian Games. It must have made him feel more comfortable mentally. It's very encouraging for us as we head into the postseason."

Kang Baek-ho is an indispensable center fielder for KT. The regular season is important, but in the short season, you need a player who can hit big hits and be the difference maker in a close game. There aren't many hitters in the league who can do that. For KT, Kang Baek-ho is the kind of hitter who can intimidate opponents.

However, Kang's baseball career has taken a turn for the worse in recent years. It started with the "gum incident" in the dugout at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Last season, he suffered a fractured toe before the start of the season. It was an ordeal for the normally fearless Kang. It ruined his entire 2022 season. However, he was also criticized for holding out until the end of the winter salary negotiations despite his poor performance. To add insult to injury, he was thrown out of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) after hitting a double and celebrating to boost team morale. During the season, he was reprimanded for an insensitive outfield throw and was relegated to the second team for a long period of time, and he admitted to suffering from panic disorder.

Winning a gold medal at the Asian Games was a chance to put those pains behind him. While receiving military service benefits is important for his career, it was encouraging to see that he performed so well without any problems amidst concerns about what he might do next. He seemed to be happy after winning the gold medal, so I was looking forward to his performance this fall in baseball. There is a difference between playing baseball in a relaxed state and not playing baseball at all. 토토사이트

However, it ended in a hollow ending. With the playoffs just around the corner, he tore his side muscle in a practice game. Just when we thought things were going to go well, KT and the players themselves were knocked down by unexpected bad news.

Especially for the coach, who had high hopes for Kang Baek-ho, it's a headache to have to rethink the playoffs. For Lee, it became important to draw out the cohesion of the team as much as possible by utilizing the memories of the regular season when Kang Baek-ho was out.