Is Wells the Future Star of KBO? Analyzing His Performance Against KT Wiz

Daniel Kim 2026.04.29 Views

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[MyDaily = Suwon Kim Hee-soo] Wells was dominant despite the loss.

The LG Twins fell 5-6 to the KT Wiz on April 28 at Suwon’s KT Wiz Park in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League matchup. A shaky bullpen cost the team the win, but starter Wells delivered an impressive, workmanlike performance.

Backed by early run support, Wells opened by retiring leadoff hitter Kim Min-hyeok on a fly to center. He allowed Choi Won-jun to reach on an infield single, then got Kim Hyun-soo to fly out to right. Facing the game’s first right-handed batter, Jang Sung-woo, Wells saw Choi steal into scoring position with consecutive steals and Jang draw a walk, but he closed the inning by striking out Hilliard looking.

Wells came out sharper in the bottom of the second, striking out leadoff batter Oh Yun-seok and inducing a shortstop fly from Kim Sang-su. He battled Han Seung-taek in a nine-pitch duel, added another strikeout and retired the side in order.

He opened the third by quickly getting two strikes on Lee Kang-min and inducing a grounder to third. Wells then retired Kim Min-hyeok on a two-pitch fly to left and struck out Choi Won-jun, posting his second straight 1-2-3 inning.

After Moon Bo-kyung’s solo homer cut the lead, Wells started the fourth by getting Kim Hyun-soo to fly out to left. He then worked through the power duo of Jang Sung-woo and Hilliard, recording consecutive strikeouts and maintaining his momentum.

The fifth inning began chaotically. Oh Yun-seok reached on an infield single while first baseman Austin appeared unprepared, and in a rare miscue Shin Min-jae’s throw to first sailed into the air. Luckily for Wells, Oh didn’t advance to second, and an attempted steal ended in an out. Wells then escaped the inning by retiring Kim Sang-su on a fly to center and striking out Han Seung-taek.

Wells yielded a leadoff walk in the sixth to Lee Kang-min, prompting pitching coach Kim Kwang-sam to visit the mound. Wells stayed in and worked out of trouble: he struck out Kim Min-hyeok looking on a full count, then surrendered a big double to Choi Won-jun. He closed the frame by inducing a pitcher’s grounder from Kim Hyun-soo and a grounder to third from Jang Sung-woo, completing what amounted to a quality start.

Wells handed the ball to Woo Kang-hoon to open the seventh and finished his outing with 94 pitches, 63 strikes. His fastball topped out at 148 km/h (about 92 mph), and his slider was especially sharp — one sequence saw him work at 140 km/h (about 87 mph) with 14 of 16 pitches locating in the zone. Despite the bullpen surrendering the lead and costing him the win, Wells’ performance was unmistakably strong.

With Son Joo-young and Kim Yoon-sik getting live work as they near first-team returns, Wells has made it clear with back-to-back dominant starts that he won’t be giving up his rotation spot easily. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop’s pleasant dilemma continues.