Why did KT manager Lee Kang-chul visit the mound as a surprise due to the effect of recruiting Cuevas?

KT starter Cuevas is struggling against Doosan in the 2023 KBO League at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 15th.

"It seemed like a sudden change."

KT is enjoying the effect of William Cuevas (33), a foreign ace who returned. He has been with KT since 2019 and was the main player in KT's first integrated championship in 2021. Cuevas, who broke up with an elbow injury last year, returned to KT as a substitute in June and is leading the team's upward trend with six wins and no losses in 10 games.

KT manager Lee Kang-chul met ahead of the second day of the 2023 KBO League's three consecutive away games against Doosan at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 16th and expressed satisfaction with the reason for heading to the mound in the fifth inning of the previous day and Cuevas' performance.

Cuevas started the game against Jamsil Doosan the previous day and led his team to a 1-0 victory with two hits, two walks, seven strikeouts and no runs in seven innings, earning his sixth win (no loss) of the season.

However, during the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, coach Lee Kang-chul made a surprise visit to the mound. After one out, Doosan's Kim In-tae got on base with a left-handed hit, and Park Joon-young hit a series of foul balls in the next at-bat. Why.

Director Lee said, "It suddenly changed in the fifth inning. Cuevas has a strange competition with Doosan starter Raul Alcantara, but he suddenly kept throwing fastballs. "I kept throwing five 150km fastballs, and after getting hit by (Kim) In-tae, my face suddenly seemed to have changed," he said. "I was thinking about going and talking, but he bet the game on the next batter Park Joon-young with a fastball again. "I thought, 'I have to hang up,' so I went up," he explained. He added, "I asked (Jang) Sung-woo if he had signed a fastball, and he kept shaking his head, so I thought I should hang up."

KT manager Lee Kang-chul celebrates with the players after winning the 2023 professional baseball game between the Doosan Bears and the KT Wiz at Jamsil Stadium.

Asked what he said to Cuevas, he said, "Even if you throw 150km now, if you can't control Korean hitters, you'll get hurt, so mix up the breaking balls and throw them as you always do." "I threw a slider and a change-up and solved it," he said. "I know (Cuevas) well." If the timing was late, I gave him a score (at the end of the fifth inning) and felt like he was going to lose. So I went up and calmed him down (laughs)," he smiled.

What is clear is that the effect of recruiting Cuevas is coming out. Coach Lee was satisfied that invisible synergy was coming out after recruiting Cuevas. In fact, Cuevas has been playing with six wins, no losses, and a 3.13 ERA in 10 games since his return. In particular, in August, he started in three games and won all of them, and allowed only one run, resulting in a 0.43 ERA.

Coach Lee said, "With the arrival of Cuevas, the entire team has improved tremendously. "It was the first turning point," he said, adding, "Cuevas lost twice and won all 10 games he took the mound. This in itself has more than 10 wins," he praised Cuevas.

"We are weak against Hanwha and KIA this season, but Cuevas played well against the two teams," he said. "We have faith in existing players because we played for a long time, and Cuevas returned and protected the rotation, relieving the burden on other starting pitchers." "Thanks to Cuevas, (Bae) Je-sung can also take the mound comfortably as a fifth starter," he stressed. He added, "In the past, I played around and lost concentration during the game, but I think it's so good that that's gone when I come back."

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