A seat makes a person. KT Wes Benjamin, who joined as a substitute foreign pitcher and stood tall as the first starter, showed off his ace sense of responsibility.
Benjamin started the demonstration game against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 KBO League held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 20th and led the team’s 8-2 victory with 4 innings, 3 hits, 2 strikeouts and 1 run. The number of pitches was 63 (43 strikes), and under the fastball of up to 149 km, various pitches such as curve, slider, two-seam, and cutter stole the timing of Doosan hitters.
After the game, Benjamin said, “The away road was long, so the current condition is not 100%. Still, he threw his best and got a good result,” he said. “I was overall satisfied with the direct ball today. In the case of the slider, it takes a little more practice because it falls down instead of bending sideways. The speed of the fastball will also increase if you continue to practice.”
Coach Lee Kang-cheol expressed his extraordinary expectations for the ace before the game, saying that Benjamin’s pitch was much better than last year. In response, Benjamin said, “I practiced focusing on two-seam to induce a ground ball hit in the offseason. As a result, his restraint increased, but after seeing that, I think the director gave him a good evaluation,” he said with a laugh. 메이저사이트
Benjamin wore a KT uniform for an annual salary of 331,000 dollars (about 400 million won) in place of ace William Cuevas, who left due to injury in May last year. At the time, he received attention as a player recommended by Yang Hyeon-jong, who ate a pot of rice with the Texas Rangers, and achieved a contract renewal for $ 1.3 million (approximately 1.7 billion won) by fighting hard with an average ERA of 2.70 with 5 wins and 4 losses in 17 games. Benjamin did not stop there, but took on KT’s 2023 season opening pitcher and ace.
Benjamin said, “I am honored that the coach considers me as the first starter. Since you gave me a chance, I will do my best with a sense of responsibility,” he said. “I will throw the ball so that KT can win a game again this year. In a situation where the team is winning, I will pitch with the bullpen.”
Ten months have passed since I came to KT. Having devoted himself to studying Korean since joining the club, he has improved his skills to the extent that he can communicate basicly. He said, “Korean is difficult, but I am learning as much as I can. He laughed and said, “An interpreter is helping me a lot.