KT Wiz won the first three consecutive games of the 2023 season. He became a starting pitcher and showed stable performance, but his worries are not over. Foreign pitcher Bo Schuler (29), who is supposed to be the centrepiece of the starting lineup, has been struggling.
On the 29th, KT sent Schuler to the Futures League, not because he was in any particular physical condition, but to give him an adjustment period to change his recent slump.
Schuler, who is playing his first year in the KBO this season, has been struggling as the season progresses. In nine games, he is 1-7 with a 5.62 ERA in 49⅔ innings pitched.스포츠토토
He was outstanding in the first two games of the season, allowing one run in 13 innings, but has faltered since. In May alone, he has lost all five games and has an 8.39 ERA in 24⅔ innings with 23 earned runs, which is not the kind of performance you’d expect from a foreign pitcher.
KT has found some stability as the season has gone on. While they haven’t climbed out of the bottom of the league, they have recently won three consecutive games to cut the gap between them and the ninth-place Hanwha Eagles to 0.5 games. The team is on a roll, picking up meaningful results in a three-game series against the Doosan Bears (19-21), Kiwoom Heroes (23-25), and Samsung Lions (26-28).
What has been noticeable is the stabilisation of the starting line-up. According to baseball statistics site ‘Statiz’, the starting pitchers have been steady on the mound during this period, going 6-3 in nine games with a 3.31 ERA in 49 innings, tied for the lead in wins and third in innings pitched and ERA.
From the start of the season until the three-game sweep against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 18th, they were 8-17 with a 4.97 ERA in 193⅔ innings, ranking near the bottom of the league in key metrics. Given this situation, the recent rise of the starting pitching staff is certainly noticeable.
The team’s stable starting rotation is starting to gel, but Scherzer’s struggles are still a concern. A bounce-back from Schuler is essential for the team to boast a solid starting line-up of Wes Benjamin-Schuler-Young-pyo-Eum-Sang-baek-Bae Jae-sung.
Schuler travelled to the Futures League in hopes of turning things around, and whether he can pick up his game in the second team, and how he can revitalise the team when he returns to the first team, will have a huge impact on KT’s performance this year.