Like the KS direct team, the '20-day gift' that KT received
The KBO League postseason will go straight to a single step. For example, the first-come-first-served team of the Korean Series, the first-served team of the playoffs, and the first-served team of the semi-playoff will share the probability and the "time advantage."
However, it does not hold the same 'benefits' for each season's ranking. Samsung, the first team in the 2021 playoffs, spent only eight days preparing for the first round of the playoffs after the end of the regular season.
KT, which had the same winning rate as the first place in the regular season, played the first game of the playoffs against Doosan in Daegu on November 9 after playing the first game on October 31 of that year. In the aftermath of COVID-19, the semi-playoff was shortened to two out of three. As a result, she failed to buy time to overcome the psychological shock and physical burden of missing the first place match.
KT, ranked second in the regular season this season, secured more than average time until the playoffs. KT won the playoff ticket with a victory over Doosan in Suwon, which was held as the 144th game of the regular season on the 10th. The rest of this year's season will continue until the 17th of this month. While receiving a week of time gifts, another 10 days of wild card matches and semi-playoffs are flowing. Accordingly, KT secured a preparation period of about 20 days until the first round of the playoffs scheduled for the 30th.
The better the pace control, the better the veteran is the team. In addition, considering the situation of the team, which has many main players who need time to recover from their injuries, it is a favorable trend in many ways. If the preparation period is 20 days, it is usually similar to the time the Korean Series direct team waits.
The first player to pay attention to in KT is right-hander Um Sang-baek, who has been treated and rehabilitated for rib microfractures since the end of August. Starting with bullpen pitching this week, Um Sang-baek is speeding up his return, and it is expected that he will be able to throw nearly 100% of the balls in real life by the end of this month. However, it is unclear whether he will be able to increase the number of pitches enough to last a long inning as a starting pitcher as before the injury. KT manager Lee Kang-chul said, "We are looking at the number of various cases, including the use of fire pens." 스포츠토토
Another player of interest is outfielder Kim Min-hyuk, who was diagnosed with a thigh muscle rupture for four weeks against Lotte on September 21 last month. Kim Min-hyuk played as a leadoff during KT's high-speed run for about three months since June this season. Numerical scoring productivity ranks second in the team and has a high proportion of fielders. Kim Min-hyuk is also expected to play at the end of this month. However, as it is not predictable whether he will be able to play as an outfielder who needs quickness, he will likely start as a pinch hitter in the playoffs and increase his participation. After that, if he succeeds in advancing to the Korean Series, which has about a week more, he can change his usage method.
On top of that, star pitcher Ko Young-pyo, who suffered a bruise on his right arm against Suwon KIA in March, also secured enough recovery time. KT has left a special history of rising to second place after being at the bottom for two months since the opening of this season. The fall baseball preparation period is also special.