From last place at the start of the season, KT leaps to fourth place
Faced inferior Hanwha-KIA three times in August

After hitting rock bottom and bouncing back, the KT Wiz will be put to the test.

After suffering a series of injuries before the start of the season, KT spent the first part of the season at the bottom of the standings, sitting in 10th place until early June. The tide turned with the return of healthy players.

With their full strength back, KT began to showcase their competitiveness, resulting in a winning percentage of 1 (0.688) since June, including a winning percentage of 1 (0.652) in June and a winning percentage of 3 (0.684) in July.

The team has also climbed out of the bottom of the standings and is currently ranked 4th (49 wins, 2 draws, 44 losses) after 7 days. There’s no separation between them and third-place NC (48 wins, 1 draw, 43 losses).

Now they have the best power and atmosphere.

KT’s winning ways were put to the test in August. They have to face the heavily favored Hanwha Eagles and Kia Tigers back-to-back, as well as their rivals in the standings. In order to maintain their momentum amidst a challenging schedule, they will need to defeat not only their natural enemies, but also their competitors.

There are only two teams that KT has a worse head-to-head record against this year, Hanwha and KIA. Eighth-ranked Hanwha and sixth-ranked Kia are both lower in the standings than KT, but when they face KT, it’s a struggle.

KT has just one win, one draw, and four losses against Hanwha, and one win and six losses against KIA.

This month, KT has a three-game midweek series against Hanwha on Aug. 8-10, followed by another three-game weekend series against Hanwha on Aug. 18-20, and then a three-game series against KIA on Aug. 22-24.

KT head coach Lee Kang-cheol has been wary of Hanwha all season, saying, “Hanwha is not an easy team to beat.” The KIA batting lineup has been on fire lately, and Lee was tongue-in-cheek when he said, “It’s not just one or two players, it’s all of them.”

From the 11th to the 17th, the team will face NC and the 5th-ranked Doosan Bears, who are competing for third place side by side.

The August schedule concludes with the Lotte Giants (Aug. 25-27), who are still battling for mid-table, and the Samsung Lions (Aug. 39-31), who have shown signs of rebounding.

For KT, which is looking beyond the mid-table to the top of the standings, 스포츠토토맨 August will be even more important. “It’s a tough schedule,” Lee said, adding, “We’ll be successful even if we win five games this month.”