'Is this what they call unwavering comfort?'
The professional baseball team Samsung Lions properly showcased the power of their bullpen. Samsung won 2-1 in an away game against the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 12th. With this victory, Samsung concluded their mid-week series against Kia with two wins and one loss.
Samsung activated their bullpen starting in the 6th inning, leading 2-1. After a strong performance with one run allowed in five innings (8 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts), starting pitcher Lee Seung-hyun (No. 57) was followed by Lee Seung-min on the mound. He induced ground balls from Han Joon-soo and Kim Kyu-seong. After easily securing 2 outs with just 5 pitches, he allowed a hit to Kim Ho-ryeong.
Soon after, Kim Tae-hoon took over. He allowed a hit to Lee Chang-jin but completed the inning without giving up any runs by getting Park Chan-ho out on a fly ball to center field. In the 7th inning, Kim Tae-hoon perfectly shut out three batters: Patrick Wisdom (fly out to center), Choi Hyung-woo (strikeout), and Oh Seon-woo (strikeout looking).
In the 8th inning, Band Chun-seung, who was the fourth pitcher of the team, allowed a single to lead-off hitter Hwang Dae-in but induced a double play with Han Joon-soo. Soon after, he struck out Kim Kyu-seong on a swing. In the 9th inning, in a tough one-run situation, 'new closer' Lee Ho-seong faced Kim Ho-ryeong (strikeout), Lee Chang-jin (foul flyout to first), and Park Chan-ho (fly out to left), successfully closing the game.
Significant records were also achieved alongside the perfect pitching. Lee Seung-min recorded his first hold in his debut. Kim Tae-hoon became the second player in history to achieve 10 holds in six consecutive years, following Kwon Hyuk. 'Super rookie' Band Chun-seung reached 10 holds, while Lee Ho-seong recorded his sixth save of the season.
Lee Seung-min, who registered his first hold since his professional debut in 2020, said through the club's YouTube channel 'Lions TV', "I really wanted to get my first hold. (After recording two outs) I couldn't finish cleanly, and I felt sorry to the next pitcher, Tae-hoon hyung. I thank him every time I meet him lately. It would have been perfect if I had gotten the last batter as well, but I'm just glad."
Band Chun-seung, who succeeded in hunting for 10 holds in his rookie year, stated, "Hyung Jae-hyun came into the dugout and said it looked like I stumbled and handled it awkwardly when I shouldn't have fallen." He added, "I will do well to achieve more than 20 holds in the future."
Lee Ho-seong, who earned his sixth save of the season, remarked, "I tried to throw the pitch without thinking about the score. I relaxed and used my off-speed pitches to control the count while trying to show my fastballs, which led to good results."
Meanwhile, Samsung will play a weekend three-game series against the KT Wiz at Daegu Samsung Lions Park starting on the 13th. Hwang Dong-jae (Samsung) and Ko Young-pyo (KT) will face off as starting pitchers.
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