KT wins Game 1, but Park's long slump hurts, when will it break?

KT's Park Byung-ho heads to the dugout in disappointment after hitting a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the sixth inning during the game between the KT Wiz and the NC Dinos in the fifth round of the baseball '2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason' playoffs at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Jowon-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, on Friday afternoon.

The KT Wiz have clinched Game 1 of the Korean Series against the LG Twins, giving them a 74.4 percent chance of winning the title. However, they need to rebound for the rest of the series as slugger Park Byung-ho has yet to fully wake up from his slumber.

KT defeated LG 3-2 in Game 1 of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO on Sunday at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.

KT, which won the 2021 Korean Series in four games, extended its winning streak to five games (undefeated) in the Korean Series. They also won four straight in this year's postseason, starting with Game 3 of the playoffs against the NC Dinos.

KT's ability to take Game 1 was largely due to their mound strength. The strong defense from the playoffs continued on this day.

Starter Ko Young-pyo pitched six innings of two-run ball (one earned), and the bullpen, which was activated in the seventh inning, held Son Dong-hyun (two innings) and Park Young-hyun (one inning) scoreless. KT's pitching staff has been steady in every game this fall, so it's worth expecting more of the same in the remaining games.

KT's Park Byung-ho warms up with his bat before the baseball game between KT Wiz and NC Dinos in the fifth round of the '2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason' playoffs at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Jowon-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, on November 5, 2018 in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do.

The batting lineup, on the other hand, was underwhelming. Moon Sang-chul became a hero in the ninth inning when he hit a game-winning double with the bases loaded and the score tied at 2-2, but up until that point, the bats were not cohesive.

In the middle of the order, Jang Sung-woo struggled with a 2-for-4 performance, but Anthony Alford (1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts) and Park Byung-ho (1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts) were silent.

It's especially disappointing that Park, who has been inconsistent in the playoffs, couldn't break out of his slump in Game 1.

Park had batted fourth in the lineup throughout the previous five games of the playoffs, but was held to a .200 average (4-for-20) with one RBI. There were no home runs.

After going just 2-for-12 in Games 1-3, he woke up with a 5-for-2 performance in Game 4, but then went 0-for-3 again in Game 5.

Most notably, he hit a bases-loaded single in the sixth inning with the score tied 2-2. The runner from third base came home to give KT a 3-2 victory, but it was not recorded as an RBI.

With his head firmly in the sand, Park looked to rebound against his professional debut team, LG. He had hit .352 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 16 games against LG this season, so expectations were high.

With runners on first and third base in the first inning of the third round of the baseball '2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason' playoff game between NC Dinos and KT Wiz at Changwon NC Park in Yangdeok-dong, Masanmyeon-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, on the afternoon of November 2, KT's Park Byung-ho heads to the dugout after striking out.

Byung-ho struck out in the first inning and struck out again in the fourth inning with runners on first and second with nobody out. After leading off the seventh inning with a pitcher's choice, Byung-ho grounded out to shortstop in his final at-bat in the ninth.

Park's struggles have not been highlighted as much as the team's recent four-game winning streak. However, as the "go-to" hitter for the team's batting lineup, he needs to break out of his slump.

Park has played in the Korean Series twice before, in 2014 and 2019 with the Heroes, but has never won a title. Given his age, this could be his best chance to win a title, and if he remains silent, he won't be able to reach his desired goal.

Park Byung-ho, who is a firm favorite of Lee Kang-cheol, is likely to start at No. 4 in Game 2 on Monday.

He has a good matchup with LG's Choi Won-tae. He's faced him twice this season and has one home run, so he'll be looking to bounce back.

With KT up one game to none, if Park Byung-ho can bounce back, KT's chances of winning the second game will increase.

스포츠토토맨; https://www.sportstotomen.com