The Korea Professional Baseball team KT Wiz made its first visit to the Daejeon Shin Stadium Hanwha Life Ballpark. It is interesting that the first opponent in the new stadium is the Hanwha Eagles pitcher Eom Sang-bak (29), with whom they shared a meal until last year.

KT faces Hanwha at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon on the 25th. As this is their first visit to the newly opened Hanwha Life Ballpark, the players were busy with adaptation training as soon as they arrived at the stadium. The pitchers went up on the mound to check the height and soil conditions, while the fielders also evaluated the grass condition and the impact strength of batted balls bouncing off the 8-meter-high monster wall on the right side.

KT manager Lee Kang-cheol, who toured the new stadium, noted in a pre-game interview, “Even if a bad throw goes to first base, the ball bounces back quickly, making it difficult for the batter to reach second base. The foul area behind first and third base is narrow, so that may pose difficulties for the pitchers.”

Manager Lee added, “I came to the new stadium and am meeting Eom Sang-bak,” and smiled broadly, then said, “The rain has perfectly set this up.” If the game against Lotte on the 22nd had not been canceled due to rain, Eom Sang-bak was scheduled to pitch against Lotte on the 24th. However, as the schedule was pushed back a day due to rain, Eom Sang-bak's first showdown with his former team KT took place on this day.

Eom Sang-bak, who joined KT as the first overall pick in 2015, was with KT for 10 years until last year. He knows the KT players very well. Manager Lee expressed curiosity saying, “I don't know who will have the advantage. We’ll have to see.”

Eom Sang-bak, who transferred from KT to Hanwha as a free agent last winter under a four-year contract worth 7.8 billion won, has recorded 1 win and 3 losses with an earned run average of 6.89 in four games (15⅔ innings) this season. Although he did not pass five innings in each of his first three games, he reported his first victory on the 18th against NC in Daejeon, pitching five innings, allowing seven hits, one walk, one hit batter, three strikeouts, and four earned runs.

On this day, KT's starting lineup featured Mel Rojas Jr. (designated hitter), Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder), Huh Kyung-min (third baseman), Jang Sung-woo (catcher), Hwang Jae-kyun (first baseman), Oh Yun-seok (second baseman), Choi Seong-min (right fielder), Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). The starting pitcher is So Hyung-jun.

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