Dan Black gives life to newcomer KT Wiz
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Dan Black of the KT Wiz hits a ball into center field during his team’s game against the NC Dinos at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, June 18. / Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
Fans of the KT Wiz, the latest team to join the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this season, must have believed that their favorite team was just receiving a harsh hazing over the past two months.
Backed by the country’s second-largest telecom company, the Suwon-based team ambitiously embarked on their first season, but the result could not have been worse as they won only 3 of their first 25 games in April. That’s only a .120 winning percentage, reminding their fans of the now-defunct Sammi Superstars, who had a record-low winning percentage of .188 with 15 wins and 65 losses in the KBO’s inaugural season in 1982.
To turn the situation around, the beleaguered Wiz has received several transfusions including three trades and replacing one of their imported players with a more prolific one.
Those attempts worked well. While acquiring five players from the Lotte Giants including the league’s top prospect, catcher Jang Sung-woo ― after sending four players, including their young gun pitcher Park Se-woong on May 2 ― the Wiz have added seven wins. Though that has not been enough to lift the Wiz out of last place, the team’s monthly batting average greatly increased from .208 in April to .263 in May.
And there is Dan Black, the 27-year-old first baseman, who had spent his career playing for the Chicago White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate. After placing their struggling pitcher Andy Sisco on a waiver, the Wiz signed a one-year deal worth $300,000 with the American switch-hitter.
Ever since the power hitter’s first game for the Wiz on June 4, recording three hits, two RBIs and one walk in a game against the SK Wyverns, Black has given life to his team, making the Wiz more offensive. As of Monday, he has been batting .359 with an on-base percentage of .379 and a slugging percentage of .578, with 23 hits including two doubles and four homers in 15 games.
Though they lost two games against the Tigers over the weekend, the Wiz have won nine and lost eight this month. Chances are still low that the Wiz will climb out of the KBO basement, as the team is still 11.5 games behind the ninth-place LG Twins, but its recent improvement has certainly made the Wiz a formidable opponent for the rest of the season.
The Wiz will have a three-game series with the Twins at their Suwon KT Wiz Park home this week, and will have another series against the second-place Samsung Lions in Daegu over the weekend.