KT Wiz veteran infielder Oh Jae-il faithfully performed the role he was given in more important games than ever.메이저사이트
Oh Jae-il started as the fifth batter and first baseman in Game 16 of the season against the Kiwoom Heroes of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 28th, contributing to his team’s 10-7 victory by scoring three hits, two RBIs and one run from four times at bat, including the final hit.
Oh Jae-il, who took his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning with no outs, swallowed the disappointment by hitting a fly ball to the center field, but started the second at-bat. He got on base with an infield hit to the second base in the bottom of the fourth inning with no outs and runners on the first and second bases, and with one out, he hit home when Bae Jeong-dae doubled to score.
Oh Jae-il hit a multi-hitter with an RBI single in his third at bat. When the two teams were tying 6-6, Kang hit a right-handed hit with two outs and a runner on the second base in the bottom of the fifth inning, bringing in second baseman Kang Baek-ho.
Oh Jae-il’s performance was not the end. In the bottom of the seventh inning when his team was leading 8-6, second baseman Kang Baek-ho advanced to third base as the opponent’s wild pitch came out with no outs and second base, and Oh Jae-il guided Kang Baek-ho home with a double that separated the right-center. It was the moment when Oh Jae-il made a three-hit game in 12 days after the match against the Suwon KIA Tigers on the 16th.
Oh Jae-il, who became the main character of the final hit, said, “I thought I should make a run-away score because every game was an important watershed and it was a difficult tie,” adding, “I went to the batter’s box with the intention of hitting a runner on second base rather than taking a big swing (in my third at-bat).”
Oh Jae-il also expressed satisfaction with his performance, saying, “(The timely hit in the bottom of the seventh inning) was a situation where (Ko) Young-pyo threw well in the middle, so he focused more so that he could come into the game with a little ease.”
KT, which won thanks to Oh Jae-il’s performance, secured a joint fifth place by ending its regular season schedule with three consecutive wins. As sixth-ranked SSG Landers won 6-2 against Hanwha Eagles on the day, fifth-ranked KT and sixth-ranked SSG maintained a 0.5-game gap, and the ranking of KT and SSG will be determined according to the result of the Munhak Kiwoom-SSG match on the 30th.
If SSG wins the match against Kiwoom on Thursday, KT and SSG will rank fifth, and the two teams will have to play a tiebreaker at Suwon KT Wiz Park on Oct. 1 to advance to the wild card game. If SSG loses to Kiwoom in the match on Thursday, KT will rank fifth and SSG sixth.
Oh Jae-il said, “As a center hitter, I am proud that I have contributed to the team’s victory,” adding, “The ranking has not been decided yet, but I will do my best to play the role of a veteran so that good results can come out.”