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  'This is the ace in the hole' for KT Cuevas, who saved Hwang Jae-gyun's life

  Nov 3, 2023

  KT Wiz swept Game 4 thanks to a strong pitching performance from 'ace' William Cuevas and an explosive batting lineup.

  KT defeated NC 11-2 in the fourth game of the '2023 Shinhan Bank Shootout KBO League' playoffs (best-of-five, best-of-three system) at Changwon NC Park on Wednesday. With 14 hits, including three home runs, KT's offense exploded for 11 runs, while starter Cuevas (6 1/3 innings, no hits, no walks, three strikeouts) pitched a stellar game four.

  KT, which lost both games at home despite using two foreign starters, evened the series at 2-2 with the "magic" of two straight wins in Changwon. Game 5, which will decide the final ticket to the Korean Series, will be held at KT's home stadium, Katie Weeds Park in Suwon, on May 5.

  The star of the game four victory was undoubtedly Cuevas.

  While NC's pitchers were falling apart, Cuevas kept the NC bats in check with his 'undefeated winning percentage'. After Hwang Jae-gyun reached on an error in the first inning, he retired 17 consecutive batters to keep his no-hitter alive until the bottom of the sixth inning. He gave up a single to Son to break the no-hitter, but pitched a perfect game without allowing a single run until the sixth inning, setting the stage for KT's big win.

  Cuevas, who had a disappointing game one with seven runs (four earned) on six hits in three innings, redeemed himself by being named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the day. After the game, KT manager Lee Kang-cheol said, "Cuevas pitched well like an ace. Thanks to him, we were able to win comfortably."

  Cuevas was credited with saving the day for Hwang Jae-gyun.

  Hwang Jae-gyun made a critical error in the first game of the POs, missing a simple fly ball, and hung his head in shame after missing a ground ball in the second game. As KT lost two games in a row, the fans' desire for Hwang Jae-gyun grew. Under pressure to "do better," Hwang Jae-gyun missed a simple grounder by the first batter, Son As-seob, in the fourth game and allowed a run to score.

  Cuevas, who started the game for Hwang Jae-gyun, sent him a message with his body language and eyes that it was okay and that he shouldn't be 사설토토 shaken. Cuevas did not allow a single batter to reach base until the bottom of the sixth inning, setting the stage for KT's victory.

  If Cuevas had gotten into trouble after Hwang Jae-gyun walked the first batter, Hwang could have taken the blame for the error. With Cuevas's pitching covering up Hwang's error, Hwang Jae-gyun hit an RBI single in the second inning and a solo home run in the fourth inning to help KT win the game.

  Cuevas' ace-like performance, which also saved veteran center fielder Hwang Jae-gyun, boosted KT's chances of advancing to the Korean Series.

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