“I think it’s my destiny as an ace.”
The Kiwoom Heroes, coached by Hong Won-ki, saw their five-game winning streak against KT come to an end the day before with a 1-4 loss in game five of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon.
Ace Ahn Woo-jin started the game. Ahn did his job, but two fielding errors in the sixth inning cost him. As the pitch count increased in the 안전놀이터 sixth inning, he was removed from the game. On the day, Ahn took the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks with eight strikeouts in five innings.
Manager Hong Won-ki showed his apologies to Ahn Woo-jin. Photo by Kim Young-gu
This season, Ahn is 3-3 with a 1.88 ERA in 10 appearances. His strikeout rate is 0.95 per inning and his batting average is 0.194. His strikeouts are among the best in the league. He also has eight quality starts (six innings or less). He ranks first in QS, first in strikeouts, first in innings pitched, and third in ERA. He hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a game before the fifth inning this season.
However, he only has three wins. The bats aren’t clicking. There have only been four games where the Kiwoom offense has scored five or more runs on the day of Ahn’s start. Even when he pitched seven innings and one run (against the Changwon NC on April 7), he was unable to get any support from the bats. Of the three pitchers with an ERA in the low 1s, Ahn Woo-jin is the only one without five wins.
Manager Hong Won-ki said, “I think this is the fate of an ace. It’s not an error, but the lack of scoring support, so I’m sure he’s very frustrated.”
“There will come a time when the batters will provide some scoring support. Until then, I hope you can show the maximum that you can do on the mound,” he encouraged.
Meanwhile, Kiwoom, which is aiming for a winning series against KT in midweek, will line up in the following order: Lee Jung-hoo (center field), Lim Ji-yeol (left field), Kim Hye-sung (designated hitter), Edison Russell (shortstop), Lee Won-seok (first base), Lee Hyung-jong (right field), Kim Hwi-jip (third base), Song Sung-moon (second base), and Kim Dong-heon (catcher). The starting pitcher will be Eric Yokishi.
