KBO League We're in!

William Cuevas (33), a foreign pitcher of the KT Wiz in professional baseball, held out his palm and shook his head when asked to take a photo before the interview.

Left-hander Wes Benjamin (30), who was next to him, laughed while outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. (33) grabbed Cuevas and dragged him to a place where he could take a picture.

Three foreign kt players who met with Yonhap News in the lobby of Ananti at Busan Cove in Gijang-gun, Busan, their spring camp accommodation on the 15th were still pleasant.

He has never played together on the same team, and although he is from different backgrounds, he played pranks without hesitation like a bamboo shoot.

Rojas, who entered the Japanese professional baseball league after the 2020 season and returned to KT this year, said, "I feel like I'm back home."

The three top foreign players who dominated the KBO League are preparing for the 2024 season in the best atmosphere.

Cuevas, who earned the nickname "Ku Dong-won" every postseason, Benjamin, an "LG killer" who is extremely strong against the LG Twins, and Rojas, whose fans named "Rohak-su" in the Korean language to stay in Korea for the rest of their lives, raised his voice to wear a winning ring in the new season.

"We are the best trio," the three players said in chorus, "Please watch."

The three players were well thought out. Cuevas, who played for KT since 2019, briefly parted ways due to injury early in the 2022 season, but rejoined as a substitute last year and displayed her best performance ever.

Even though he joined in the middle of the season, he swept 12 wins (unbeaten) in 18 games to become the league's winner.

Benjamin, who joined Cuevas as a substitute for the 2022 season, also set many great records.

He won 15 games (six losses) last year and pitched close to "perfect pitching" in the match against SSG Landers on September 12 last year, not allowing a single player to get on base until two outs in the seventh inning.

Rojas won the league's Most Valuable Player award (MVP) in 2020 for his four-time batting champion.

The three, who left big marks, waved their hands in relation to the 'keywords' of 'title', 'Perfect' and 'MVP'.

Cuevas said, "It means nothing if you don't win," and emphasized, "The first and second wins first."

Benjamin and Rojas also said, "I 100% agree with Cuevas."

Cuevas answered, "Health" to the question of "Is there anything you want to achieve in the new season except for the championship?"

"If you are not healthy, everything will collapse," he said, adding, "All I can do is do my best and leave it to the will of the rest of the sky."

"Still, Cuevas hasn't experienced the championship (2021 season)," Benjamin said. "I sincerely want to enjoy the joy of winning this season."

Rojas said, "Everyone has to think the same way to win the championship," adding, "The KT squad is as united as before. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of performance we'll have this year."

The performance of the three players is essential to win the championship.

So I asked about my personal expected performance for the new season.

However, he asked me to answer about the expected performance of two other players, not his own.

Benjamin was the first to raise his hand and start talking without hesitation.

"I was asked a similar question before the opening of last season, and I came close to it," Benjamin said. "You can trust me. It's going to be what I said."

"I think Cuevas will easily increase her win by 16 games. LOHAS is still good. He will hit 45 home runs."

Cuevas, who looked at Benjamin as if he was puzzled, responded, "Benjamin will win 20 games over Eric Jokishi (former Kiwoom Heroes), who was one of the best left-handers in the KBO League."

"45 home runs is too small for Rojas," he said, predicting, "I will hit 50."

"They're both too much," Rojas said, laughing, "One of Cuevas and Benjamin will receive the Cy Young Award (Choi Dong-won Award)."

Cuevas laughed, saying, "If I get my wish, I'll win easily."

Kt foreign players are also famous for their deep ties to certain teams.

Cuevas especially brought many tears to the Lions. He started the game against Samsung after two days of rest in the 2021 regular season's top-ranked game, and led his team to the championship with seven scoreless innings, and posted one win and 2.84 ERA in two games against Samsung in the 2023 season.

Samsung is the opening match of the 2024 season, and KT coach Lee Kang-chul has already pointed out Cuevas as the starting player for the opening game.

Asked what Samsung means to him, Cuevas said, "Doesn't everyone know what kind of story it has," adding, "But if you think you have to win against a specific team, you can easily collapse."

"The idea of being strong against the other team should only be done to build confidence," he said, adding, "We should not be conscious of Samsung."

Asked about the selection of the opening game, he said, "We have a lot of time left until the opening game in the future, so we don't know what will happen," adding, "I will focus on preparing for the new season regardless."

If Cuevas is the killer of Samsung, Benjamin is the true killer of LG. Benjamin pitched in five games against LG last season, posting a formidable record of four wins, no loss, and an ERA of 0.84. He gave up just three earned runs in 32 ⅓ innings.

Benjamin also responded seriously to the question, "What does LG mean to you?"

"The KBO League is a league that changes every year," he said. "In fact, in the 2022 season when he debuted in the KBO League, he was strong in Kiwoom (0.78 ERA in four games)."

"We need to erase our thoughts on a specific team. If you care about a specific team, you will definitely get in trouble," he stressed.

Rojas, who joined KT for the first time in more than three years, asked what kt means.

Rojas said, "It's a team that created an opportunity to play in the KBO league again," adding, "I'm just grateful that you called me."토토사이트넷