“I don’t think the defense played exceptionally well today (Thursday).”

KT Wiz’s Moon Sang-chul (32-KT Wiz) helped his team win with his defense. He also made his presence felt in the outfield, away from his primary position in the infield.

Moon started in left field as the sixth batter against the Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on April 4. It was his second start in the outfield this season, and he hasn’t had much experience in the outfield recently.

KT manager Lee Kang-cheol announced the bullpen day before the game, explaining that the starting lineup was constructed with a focus on offense rather than defense. “I had a lot of trouble deciding between Moon Sang-cheol and Kang Baek-ho, and I was going to use a designated hitter, but today, we need to hit more than we need to defend,” he said.

Moon Sang-chul was silent on the day, going hitless in four at-bats. While he didn’t get the offensive boost Lee was hoping for, he did his part on defense to help the team win.

In the top of the fifth inning with his team leading 3-2, Jeong Soo-bin’s grounder to first base sailed over the left foul line. Moon Sang-chul sprinted to the ball and made the catch for the second out.

Moon stood out again in the top of the sixth inning. Two batters later, Yang Seok-hwan hit a big shot to the left field fence. Moon Sang-chul raced to the walking track and made a safe catch against the fence. SPOTV commentator Lee Dae-hyung, a former outfielder, was also full of praise. “Moon Sang-chul is a defense fairy,” he said, “I wouldn’t have expected this (outstanding defense), but today he played defense, not offense. He doesn’t have much experience as an outfielder, so he probably doesn’t know how to hit the fence,” he said, explaining the play 스포츠토토.