“I aim for a quality start in every game.”

Although he did not become the winning pitcher, he truly showcased the presence of an ace. The 'blue blood ace' of the professional baseball Samsung Lions, Won Tae-in, displayed a superb performance with 6 innings, 5 hits allowed (1 home run), no walks, 7 strikeouts, and 1 earned run.

In the 1st inning, Won Tae-in struck out Park Chan-ho and Oh Sun-woo with swinging strikes and easily got a ground out to first base. However, with 2 outs and no runners on base, he allowed a lead-off solo home run to Kim Do-young. Soon after, he caught Choi Hyung-woo with a swinging strikeout to end the inning. Samsung succeeded in overturning the game with a 2-run home run from foreign hitter Lewin Diaz in the 1st inning, making it 2-1.

In the 2nd inning, Won Tae-in completed his first perfect inning by tying up Hwang Dae-in (ground out to shortstop), Kim Seok-hwan (strikeout), and Kim Gyu-seong (fly out to shortstop). In the 3rd inning, after giving up a double to lead-off batter Kim Tae-goon, he grabbed Park Jung-woo's bunt and threw to first base for an out. Following that, he turned Park Chan-ho into a fly out to right field and struck out Oh Sun-woo with a swinging strike.

In the 4th inning, he completely shut down KIA's cleanup trio of Kim Do-young, Choi Hyung-woo, and Hwang Dae-in. His crisis management skills also shone. In the 5th inning, faced with a 1 out bases loaded crisis, Won Tae-in handled Park Chan-ho with a fly out and struck out Oh Sun-woo with a swinging strike to diffuse the situation. In the 6th inning, he struck out Kim Do-young, forced Choi Hyung-woo into a fly out to center field, and struck out Hwang Dae-in with a swinging strike.

With a lead of 2-1, Won Tae-in left the mound in the 7th inning after meeting the requirements for his 4th victory of the season. However, Samsung allowed the tying run, and unfortunately, his personal victory was postponed. Samsung, with a walk-off home run from Lewin Diaz in the 9th inning, defeated KIA 3-2 and finished the weekend series with 2 wins and 1 loss.

On the 20th against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes, Won Tae-in delivered a stellar performance with 8 innings, 5 hits allowed, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts, and 1 earned run, rescuing a team that was trapped in a 3-game losing streak. He continued to lay the groundwork for victory in today's game. At the center of the victory was, of course, the 'blue blood ace' Won Tae-in.

Since the game against the LG Twins on April 17, Won Tae-in has maintained a streak of 7 consecutive quality starts. He said, “I aim for a quality start in every game. I got a lot of strikeouts with my cutter in each crisis situation today. I had a good feeling since practice, and it seems to have had a good effect during the game.”

He added, “Pitching every two weeks allowed me to take sufficient rest and manage my stamina. I feel good because I think I overcame it well,” and expressed gratitude to the fans who always cheer for him every time he pitches.

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