KT right-hander Uhm Sang-baek, 26, cooked the Doosan bats with a sharp changeup.
Uhm Sang-baek started the second game of a three-game midweek series against Doosan in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Saturday. He pitched six innings of three-hit ball, striking out seven and walking two to lead his team to a 5-2 victory.스포츠토토
Doosan batted lefties in the first through fifth spots in the order to take advantage of Uhm Sang-baek. They wanted to break their three-game losing streak against the right-handed pitcher by using a lot of left-handed hitters.
In response, Uhm unleashed an elaborate arsenal of changeups. Of his 85 pitches, 47 were changeups, with 22 cut fastballs mixed in. Only 16 of his pitches topped 100 mph (149 km/h).
The Doosan batters were caught off-guard by Uhm’s steady delivery. They remained scoreless until the sixth inning.
Uhm earned his fourth straight win. KT WIZ
With his fourth straight win, Uhm improved to 7-6 on the season. “My pitches worked as well as I wanted them to in today’s game,” he said after the game, adding, “The defense of the fielders helped me a lot.”
He had good chemistry with catcher Jang Jang-woo, who formed the battery, and the hitters took a lot of pressure off his shoulders. “I tried to follow (Jang) Sung-woo’s lead and throw well,” Uhm said, adding that he was grateful that the batters also hit well in the early innings, which gave him more focus.
With the win, KT extended its winning streak to four games and completed its ninth consecutive winning series. “I also focused more on helping the team continue their winning streak, and I hope they can continue their winning streak,” Uhm said, adding, “I will continue to play well so that I can contribute.”
With 55 wins, 2 draws, 45 losses, and a winning percentage of 5.05%, the team remains in third place, but has closed the gap on second-place SSG to just one game. KT coach Lee Kang-cheol, who said before the game, “I’m always greedy for second place,” gave a thumbs-up to starting pitcher Uhm Sang-baek, who fulfilled his role with good chemistry with catcher Jang Jang-woo.”