On the 25th, at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, the season's 7th game was held between the Samsung Lions and the KIA Tigers.
Samsung brought Bae Chan-seung to the mound in the 8th inning, replacing Baek Jung-hyun, who was tied 2-2. Bae Chan-seung easily secured the first out by inducing a pop-out from the first batter, Park Chan-ho, with a fast pitch of 151 km. He then drew a ground ball from Oh Sun-woo after an 8-pitch battle with a 155 km fastball.
After two outs, in the battle against Kim Do-young, he struck out swinging with a 154 km fastball on a 2B-2S count, completing a three-up, three-down inning. At that moment, cheers erupted from the home crowd at third base, while sighs were heard from the visiting crowd at first base.
Kim Do-young, KIA's star hitter, had hit home runs in four consecutive games since the game against Suwon KT Wiz on the 22nd. Samsung manager Park Jin-man noted before the game, "Kim Do-young makes home runs without distinguishing between fastballs and breaking balls. It seems like he can see the ball well here. If we lose to Kim Do-young, our entire team loses," highlighting how Bae Chan-seung completely overwhelmed Kim Do-young with his trademark fastball.
Samsung brought in "New Closer" Lee Ho-sung in the 9th inning. After giving up a single to the first batter, Choi Hyung-woo, Lee Ho-sung induced a pop-out from Hwang Dae-in and then recorded a looking strikeout on Lee Woo-sung, racking up two outs. However, he allowed Hong Jong-pyo to reach base due to a defensive error, creating a first and second base crisis. Yet, he kept his composure, finishing the inning by forcing Kim Tae-kyun into a ground ball.
Samsung secured a 3-2 victory with a game-ending home run from lead-off hitter Lewin Diaz in the bottom of the 9th, wrapping up the weekend series against KIA with 2 wins and 1 loss.
Starter Won Tae-in laid the groundwork for victory with 6 innings of 5 hits (1 home run), no walks, 7 strikeouts, and 1 earned run, while Lee Ho-sung achieved his 5th win of the season, moving into first place for most wins on the team. Foreign batter Lewin Diaz led the offense with 2 hits, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs, including a two-run homer in the first inning and a goodbye homer in the 9th.
What is particularly encouraging is Samsung's escape from the "KIA jinx." After showing a record of 4 wins and 12 losses against KIA last year, Samsung has taken the upper hand with 5 wins and 2 losses.
With Kim Moo-shin (formerly Kim Yun-soo) undergoing surgery due to an elbow injury, the roles of the "Fireballer Duo" Bae Chan-seung and Lee Ho-sung, who throw fastballs over 150 km, have become even more crucial. The "Fireballer Duo," which has emerged as a new hope for Samsung's bullpen, dominated the game.
After the game, Bae Chan-seung stated through the club's official YouTube channel "Lions TV," "I went to the mound with the mindset of absolutely not giving up any runs. Given the tight situation, I thought I had to pitch with a sense of responsibility."
Meanwhile, reflecting on the game, manager Park Jin-man commented, "It was a tough game, and there were crisis situations, but our pitchers, including starter Won Tae-in, Baek Jung-hyun, Bae Chan-seung, and Lee Ho-sung, performed their roles well with minimal runs allowed. We were able to win thanks to Diaz's two home runs."
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