William Cuevas, a foreign pitcher for the KT Wiz of the Korean Baseball Organization, is nicknamed “Kudongwon”.When he led the team to its first unified victory in the autumn of 2021 with the spirit of a saint, KT fans compared him to the late manager Choi Dong-won, who single-handedly won four games in the 1984 Korean Series .At the time, Cuevas was incredible. He threw 108 pitches to win a regular-season game against the NC Dinos on 28 October in a tight race for first place, then took just two days off before starting again in the first-place game against the Samsung Lions. Cuevas’ seven-inning, 99-pitch shutout clinched the regular season title for KT. Cuevas’ dedication sent KT straight to the Korean Series, where they swept the Doosan Bears in four games to lift the trophy for the first time. Cuevas was released the following April due to elbow pain, but like many foreign players, he didn’t pack his bags immediately.
He travelled to KT’s home stadium, Suwon Katwiz Park, to rehabilitate. He wasn’t the only one. He also helped Wes Benjamin, the left-handed pitcher who replaced him, settle in. This shows how much he cares about KT and his teammates .He didn’t forget about KT after returning to the United States .KT offered Cuevas a tryout in June this year after foreign pitcher Bo Schuler struggled, and Cuevas didn’t think twice about signing on the dotted line .At the time, Cuevas had received offers from five domestic and foreign teams, including KT, but he chose KT .Cuevas went 12-0 with a 2.60 ERA in 18 regular-season games, and with a huge boost, KT rose vertically from last place to second place, punching their ticket to the autumn feast. After a somewhat disappointing result in the second round of the playoffs (PO) against the NC on the 30th of last month, Cuevas sacrificed himself once again.
He threw 75 pitches on that occasion and will start Game 4 of the PO at Changwon NC Park on the 3rd after just three days of rest. After Game 2, KT head coach Lee Kang-cheol asked Cuevas if he could pitch in Game 4, and Cuevas said “yes” without hesitation. It’s relatively rare to see a foreign player risk injury and dedication to a team. In professional sports, foreign players are more like mercenaries than family members .In the past, foreign players in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) have been known to blatantly cut corners when their chances of re-signing or moving on to bigger leagues diminished .However, KT’s foreign players are different, and another foreign pitcher, Benjamin, made a name for himself in the postseason last year.
After throwing 77 pitches in the final home game of the regular season against NC on 10 October, Benjamin took two days off before pitching out of the bullpen in the wild-card decider against the KIA Tigers on 13 October, striking out three in one inning. After another three days off, he started the second game of the semi-finals against the Kiwoom Heroes on 17 October and pitched seven scoreless innings. Although KT did not advance to the PO, Benjamin’s sacrificial 온라인카지노 spirit touched the hearts of many fans.