KT coach Lee Kang-cheol "It was a loss that we didn't win the second game of KS"

(Daegu = Yonhap News) Reporter Jang Hyeon-gu = KT Wiz's coach Lee Kang-cheol, who collapsed in frustration after trying to win the unified professional baseball championship for the first time in five years, was left disappointed after the second game.

Coach Lee looked back on the 2026 season, which ended with a bang, at a press conference after losing 1-12 to the Samsung Lions in Game 5 of the Korean Series, which ended at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 8th, giving the championship cup to Samsung with 1 win and 4 losses.

With 10 consecutive wins at the end of the regular season, KT won 90 wins, the most in a season since its inception, and led the team to the Korean Series by taking first place in the regular season. Just before the Korean Series, KT gave Coach Lee a big gift of a 3-year, 3.4 billion won contract renewal, the highest treatment ever for a head coach.

However, the results in the Korean series were not only meaningless but also dismal.

Coach Lee said, "We won 90 wins, the most in the team, and it's disappointing that we couldn't show up at the end, but the front office, players, and coaches worked hard this year and did very well. I congratulate the Samsung Lions on winning the championship."

Coach Lee said he was responsible for the loss in the Korean Series, saying, "I was a little late in making my move."

He said, “It was an unavoidable situation for a pitcher, but it is unfortunate that I was a bit late in using the pinch hitter card,” and added, “I think things like Choi Won-jun’s injury were a watershed that decided the direction of the series.”

Coach Lee recalled that after leading 8-0 in the first game and barely winning 8-7, the second game was also difficult, and pointed out, "In some ways, the loss of this series was that we were unable to finish a game in which we had a chance to win."

This means that the entire series was decided by the second game, which ended up being 2-3, 1 point behind, after a close game in the 12th inning of overtime.