스포츠토토 William Cuevas of the Korean Baseball Organization’s KT Wiz is back to his “Kudongwon” form, leading the organization to its first overall title in the 2021 season.
Cuevas’ August has been uncharacteristically strong. On Thursday, he pitched seven innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts in a 1-0 win over the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium. He went seven innings in all three games this month, allowing one earned run. Since returning to KT in June and posting a shaky 4.58 ERA in seven games, he has regained his ace form with a 0.43 ERA this month.
“When I’m on the mound, I try to enjoy the game no matter what,” Cuevas said after the game, “I feel better in the second half of the season than in the beginning. I feel good now, but I want to do better in the future,” he emphasized.
The game drew attention to the first meeting between Cuevas and Raul Alcantara, who were part of a foreign one-two punch with KT in 2019. Prior to this game, Alcantara had dominated KT this season with two games and 15 scoreless innings. Before the game, KT manager Lee Kang-cheol said, “When Alcantara meets us, he throws the ball without thinking. Even if he throws more than 100 pitches, he comes to the mound.” “We can’t let the bats come out in the infield. If the ball count is unfavorable, it’s hard to catch him.”
KT WIZ’s Cuevas throws a ball during their game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Friday. Yonhap News1
Cuevas pitched a pitching performance comparable to Alcantara’s, who tossed seven scoreless innings. He didn’t allow a runner to reach base until the third inning. In the bottom of the fourth inning, leadoff hitter Jung Soo-bin reached on a bunt single and was assisted by first baseman Oh Yoon-seok, who made an accurate throw to catch Jung at home.
“A 1-0 game is satisfying because it means that the pitcher did his job every inning,” said a smiling Cuevas, who added, “When the team wins, the bats come out. I’m thankful that we haven’t lost yet.”
KT’s starting pitchers, including Cuevas, have been on a roll. In August, KT’s starters have a 2.43 ERA, the best in the league. Ko Young-pyo has won two of three games with a 1.64 ERA, and Cho Byeol-seong has won two games with a 1.50 ERA. “When teammates compete with each other in good faith, it makes them want to do better, which leads to team victories,” Cuevas explained.
With the win, KT closed the gap on second-place SSG Landers to two games. The team, which had fallen to the bottom of the league in May, has now climbed to third place. Looking at the second half of the season, KT’s record is 17-4 with no losses and a winning percentage of 1. “We are playing without a losing streak because we have a good batting balance,” Lee said, “When you lose, you have all kinds of negative thoughts, but we overcame that and became a stronger team.”
KT players have their sights set higher in fall baseball. “When we were at the bottom of the standings, I told my teammates not to worry because we can go up,” Cuevas said, adding, “I’m going to pitch with the Korean Series in mind.”