“I gave everything to fall baseball.” I also gave up my desire to become the single most wins winner… Preparing for the 1st round pick with multiple wins, will Samsung get its first PS selection win in 3626 days?

Samsung Lions right-handed pitcher Won Tae-in has completed preparations for his first postseason start.

The Samsung Lions, led by coach Park Jin-man, will play the second round of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO postseason playoffs (best of 5) against the LG Twins at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 15th.

In the first game held on the 13th, Samsung won 10-4 thanks to starter Danny Reyes’ pitching of 6.2 innings, 3 runs (1 earned), and a home run parade by Koo Ja-wook, Kim Young-woong, and Lewin Diaz.

Can Won Tae-in of Samsung bring his first postseason victory since his debut? Photo = Reporter Cheon Jeong-hwan

Won Tae-in will start in the second game of the playoffs against LG. Photo = Reporter Cheon Jeong-hwan

The second game was scheduled to be held the day before, but was postponed due to rain. As a result, the playoff schedule was pushed back by one day.

Samsung’s starting player for Game 2 is still Won Tae-in. For LG, Son Ju-young, who was designated as the starter for Game 3 instead of Detrick Ens, will step in. This season, Won Tae-in appeared in 28 games and recorded 15 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 3.66 in 159.2 innings. Not only did he achieve his first 15 wins since his debut, but along with Kwak Bin (Doosan Bears), he became the first domestic player to win the most wins in 7 years since Yang Hyun-jong (KIA Tigers) in 2017.

In particular, in the match against Daegu SSG Landers on August 2, he roared by recording his first complete game since his debut, recording 5 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, and 3 runs in 9 innings.

From his debut season in 2019 to this season, Won Tae-in has been one of the most consistent native pitchers in the league. In 160 games, he has 56 wins, 46 losses, 2 holds, and an ERA of 3.87. During this period, he ranked 1st in Korean innings with 885.2 innings, and 2nd in Korean ERA after Yang Hyun-jong (3.68).

Won Tae-in has not yet won a postseason victory. Photo = Reporter Cheon Jeong-hwan

He also has extensive experience in international competitions. In addition to winning gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, participation in the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 to be held after the end of the season is also expected.

However, this is my second experience playing fall baseball. When Won Tae-in joined, Samsung was in a dark time, and although he entered the fall baseball stage for the first time in 2021, he was disappointed with 2 hits, 3 walks, and 2 runs in 1.1 innings.

So, Won Tae-in said in a recent interview, “I am confident, excited, and nervous. “I think about it before I go to sleep, and I think that I am somehow different from the person I am in 2021,” he said. “The fall stage of 2021 was just a brief throw in a losing situation. I think I’m in a different position now. “I will only find out when I start and go on the mound, but I think there will be different tension than during the regular season.”

Their performance against LG this season is not very good. 2 games, 1 loss, ERA 4.09. In the Jamsil game on March 27th, 5 innings, 6 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts, 1 run, no decision, and the June 25th game in Jamsil, 6 innings, 7 hits (1 home run), 1 walkout, 5 strikeouts, and 4 runs.

Won Tae-in focused on preparing for fall baseball instead of pitching in the final game of the season. Photo = Reporter Kim Jae-hyeon

Won Tae-in focused on fall baseball, even giving up on being the sole player with most wins. Won Tae-in said, “The joint most wins king is also the most wins king. There was no desire to become the single king with the most wins. This year, I decided to give my all to the postseason. Fall baseball was more important to me than pitching in the final game of the season. “The coach said, ‘What do you want to do because it’s an important title?’ I said, ‘I’ll do it in the postseason.’”

The most recent domestic winning pitcher for Samsung in the postseason is Baek Jeong-hyun, the winning pitcher in Game 1 of the Korean Series against Doosan on October 26, 2015. The winning record for a starting native pitcher must go until 2014. This is Seonghwan Yoon, who brought victory in Game 6 of the Korean Series against Kiwoom Heroes on November 11, 2014.

Will Won Tae-in be able to become the starting pitcher in the postseason for Samsung after 3626 days, along with his first postseason win in the important second game?

Can Won Tae-in become the protagonist of the second game? Photo = Reporter Kim Young-gu

[대구=이정원 MK스포츠 기자]

[ⓒ MK스포츠, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]