Wiz manager benches slumping slugger in do-or-die Korean Series game
KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul benched his slumping slugger Ahn Hyun-min at the start of his team's first elimination game of the Korean Series on Sunday. The Wiz are trailing the Samsung Lions 3-1 in the best-of-seven championship round, and a loss in Game 5, set for Sunday afternoon at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu, will end the Wiz's season. The Wiz won the series…
Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul made a surprising decision to start his struggling player Ahn Hyun-min in the crucial first game of the Korean Series against the Samsung Lions on Sunday. The Wiz were struggling as they trailed the Lions 3-1 in the best-of-seven championship series, with a loss in Game 5 on Sunday, at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, marking the end of their season.
The Wiz had won the first game of the series on Tuesday but suffered losses in the following three games. Ahn, the Rookie of the Year for the 2025 KBO season, had hit a home run in that opening game, contributing to an 8-7 victory for the Wiz. However, since then, he has struggled, batting just 1-for-12 with 4 strikeouts. Ahn, who usually plays as a designated hitter, had to play right field in Game 4 of the series due to an injury to the regular right fielder, Choi Won-jun.
Ahn's misplay on a fly ball with the bases loaded, which wasn't officially recorded as an error, resulted in all three runners scoring, contributing to the Lions' six-run inning. For the upcoming Game 5, Jang Jin-hyuk, who had also homered in the previous game, was set to take the right field position and bat second for the Lions.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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