{
  "id": 14081644,
  "title": "2 years after breaking fans' hearts, Bears ace Benjamin hopes to make them happy this fall",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/2-years-after-breaking-fans-hearts-bears-ace-benjamin-hopes-to-make",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-13T01:07:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20261013/2-years-after-breaking-fans-hearts-bears-ace-benjamin-hopes-to-make-them-happy-this-fall"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two years have passed since American left-hander Wes Benjamin, then pitching for the KT Wiz, delivered a seven-inning shutout to break the hearts of Doosan Bears fans. In a pivotal contest, the Wiz secured a 1-0 victory over the Bears in the second wild card encounter of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. This win marked the first time a No. 5 seed had eliminated a No. 4 seed in the wild card round, which began in 2015.\n\nNow, Benjamin has returned to the Bears, poised to orchestrate another surprising upset. The team will face off as the fifth seed against the fourth-ranked LG Twins in this year's wild card round. The matchup is set for Wednesday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. In the wild card series, the lower-seeded team is required to secure two consecutive wins on the road to advance, while the higher-seeded club must attain a tie or a victory and has the advantage of two home games to achieve that objective.\n\nThis dynamic has led to only one upset thus far. Having been a key player in the Bears' underdog triumph two years ago, Benjamin is confident that history may repeat itself.",
  "summary": "On Oct. 3, 2024, Wes Benjamin, then pitching for the KT Wiz, broke the hearts of many Doosan Bears fans. The American left-hander tossed seven shutout innings as the Wiz beat the Bears 1-0 in the second wild card contest in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. Following a 4-0 win from the previous day, that second victory made the Wiz the first No. 5 seed to eliminate a No. 4 seed in…",
  "key_points": [
    "Wes Benjamin shut out KT Wiz to beat Doosan Bears two years ago",
    "Bears face LG Twins as fifth seed in wild card round",
    "Benjamin hopes to repeat 2022 upset against LG Twins"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Benjamin’s return to the Bears provides the underdog squad with a proven postseason weapon capable of replicating his previous feat of dismantling a higher-seeded opponent.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "2 years after breaking fans' hearts, Bears ace Benjamin hopes to make them happy this fall",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/2-years-after-breaking-fans-hearts-bears-ace-benjamin-hopes-to-make-14084738",
        "published": "2026-10-13T01:27:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}