The 'winning puzzle' marked by Park Jin-man and Kang Min-ho → Choi Won-tae also replied, "I really want to take responsibility for 150 innings.""

*This content was translated by AI.

The final puzzle is being solved for the Samsung Lions' bid for the 2026 presidential election. Right-hander Choi Won-tae (29), who Samsung coach Park Jin-man (50) and "Ma'am Kang Min-ho (41), pointed out as the key to winning this season, expressed his ambition with a heavy responsibility.

Choi Won-tae, who will be in his second season at Samsung, is preparing for the 2026 season. Since January, he has been preparing steadily enough to make his body early in a warm place without attending the event "Gang Restaurant 3," which meets fans.

Choi Won-tae said through the club, "I have made my body by throwing balls since the offseason, and now I am focusing on increasing the number of pitches and improving the completeness of changeups."

Samsung's commitment to the 2026 season is truly determined. After protecting all of his internal power, he also recruited "Veteran batter" Choi Hyung-woo (43), and simply pressed the "WinNow" button. Coach Park Jin-man, who declared that he would not avoid mentioning the championship, also said shortly after the Guam camp, "I've been camping together for a few years, but this camp is different from the players' eyes. He even expressed satisfaction, saying, "Now I feel like I'm really showing a strong team."

In particular, coach Park Jin-man and pitching coach Choi Il-eon (65) remained until the end to observe Choi Won-tae's bullpen pitching in Guam. At the meeting, coach Park Jin-man said to Choi Won-tae, "We have to throw 150 innings except for the postseason. Please. We have to overcome it," he said. Kang Min-ho also predicted that Choi Won-tae would be able to challenge for the championship if he won 10 games at the beginning of the spring camp.

As coach Park Jin-man and Kang Min-ho pointed out, Samsung has an objectively strong starting lineup. Ariel Furado and Matt Manning's foreign one-two punches and the best domestic pitchers, Won Tae-in. In addition, if Choi Won-tae is good, he can build the best starting rotation in the league. If Choi Won-tae, who recorded 8 wins, 7 losses and a 4.92 124 ⅓ in 27 regular league games in the 2025 season, does his part a little more, he can have enough starting pitching power to compete with the "defending champion" LG.

Choi Won-tae also expressed his willingness to improve the team's performance as a waist of the starting team, saying, "As foreign pitchers and (Won) Tae-in are throwing well in front, the team can continue its winning streak if I play my part."

At the same time, Choi Won-tae emphasized that he would make it 150 innings. "It is most important to keep the starting rotation intact," he said, vowing, "If you want to help the team, you have to take responsibility for as many innings as possible as a starter."

Choi Won-tae then said, "The coach also requested to play the inning, and personally, the goal is to throw more than 150 innings without injury this season." It is read as a sign that it will prioritize its value as an "Inning Eater" that can give the team room to manage the mound over spectacular wins.

Choi Won-tae became the winning pitcher with four hits, four strikeouts, and one run in seven innings in the second playoff game against the Hanwha Eagles on October 19 last year. Obviously, expectations are higher for the pitcher who showed his skills. Fans are paying attention to whether Choi Won-tae, who holds the intense memories of autumn in his heart, will be the "last piece" to lift the championship trophy, the long-cherished dream of the lion corps.

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*This content was translated by AI.