▲ Mel Rojas Jr. of the KT Wiz celebrates after scoring a run against the Doosan Bears in the top of the eighth inning of Game 3 of the Korea Baseball Organization second-round postseason series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 12, 2020. (Yonhap)
▲ William Cuevas of the KT Wiz celebrates after completing the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 3 of the Korea Baseball Organization second-round postseason series against the Doosan Bears at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 12, 2020. (Yonhap)
▲ So Hyeong-jun of the KT Wiz pitches against the Doosan Bears in the top of the first inning of Game 1 of the Korea Baseball Organization second-round postseason series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 9, 2020. (Yonhap)
▲ KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul watches his team in action against the Doosan Bears in the top of the ninth inning of Game 2 of the Korea Baseball Organization second-round postseason series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 10, 2020. (Yonhap)
▲ Members of the KT Wiz acknowledge their fans after getting eliminated by the Doosan Bears in the second round of the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 13, 2020. (Yonhap)

KBO club-season wrap

Cinderella season ends in KBO postseason elimination for KT Wiz

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- The very first South Korean baseball postseason for the KT Wiz lasted only four games, as the Cinderella club of the 2020 season fell to the defending champion Doosan Bears in the penultimate round.

The Wiz lost to the Bears 2-0 in Game 4 of the best-of-five second round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason on Friday. They had dropped the first two games by 3-2 and 4-1, and then battled back with a 5-2 win on Thursday. It was the franchise's first postseason victory.

But the Wiz ran out of steam on Friday. They opened that game with three consecutive hits but still failed to score. They only managed two more hits over the rest of the game.

Still, the KBO's youngest franchise, which joined the league in 2015, had a year to remember, and the Wiz's surge into postseason contention was one of the feel-good stories of the pandemic-interrupted season.

The Wiz had mostly been the league doormat. They finished in last place in each of their first three seasons, and then moved up to ninth in 2018.

Under the tutelage of new manager Lee Kang-chul, they finally showed some promise last season, setting a franchise record with 71 wins and finishing with a .500 record for the first time.

Then the Wiz took the proverbial next step in 2020, but in the early going, it didn't seem as though they were ready to do that.

Held back by a shaky bullpen, the Wiz were only in eighth place among 10 teams at 21-27 at the end of June. But their relievers got their act together, and the Wiz finished on a 60-35-1 run to finish second overall, behind only the NC Dinos.

Outfielder Mel Rojas Jr., in his fourth KBO season, had a monstrous season to emerge a leading MVP candidate. He led the KBO with 47 home runs and 135 RBIs, and finished third in batting average with .349 to fall one category shy of a Triple Crown. He also led all hitters with a .680 slugging percentage and 116 runs scored.

Bae Jung-dae, usually known for his glove in center field, had a breakout campaign at the plate, delivering career highs of 13 home runs, 65 RBIs, 25 doubles and 22 steals. Former Rookie of the Year Kang Baek-ho set new career highs with 89 RBIs and a .544 slugging percentage. He was one of only four players in the regular season with at least a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. Shortstop Shim Woo-jun led the KBO with 35 steals.

On the mound, rookie sensation So Hyeong-jun led the club with a 3.86 ERA and had the second-most wins with 13. No South Korean pitcher had more wins in the entire league.

The 19-year-old also shined in his postseason debut, firing 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Bears in Game 1 of their just-concluded series.

So came out of the bullpen in the bottom fourth of Game 4 to save the Wiz's season, but served up a two-run home run to Choi Joo-hwan that put the Bears up 2-0.

That held up as the final score, and the Wiz had no more magic left.

Manager Lee complimented his players for putting up a good fight against the defending champions.

"We've gone through our ups and downs, and I think our players should be able to learn and grow from this experience," Lee said. "We made our share of mistakes, but they were all part of our learning experience."

Asked about any lingering disappointment of the series and the season, Lee responded that he didn't want to get into any negative discussions, with the end of the season still fresh in his mind.

"For tonight, I only want to thank my players and say great things about them," Lee said. "At the end of the day, these results are all on my shoulders. The players have done a great job. We've come this far because of their hard work."

Could he pick any player that he felt was the MVP?

"It's our entire team," Lee said.

(END)

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