(Kang) Minho did it all" The head coach's warm words made me forget the pain of the opening 5G hitless... Three-hit duo plus compliments to the bullpen [the site of a water source]

*This content was translated by AI.

"(Kang) Minho did it all."

It was a warm word that would make me forget all the unspeakable mental troubles. Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man (50) praised Kang Min-ho (41), who escaped from a long slump and led the team to victory.

Samsung beat KT Wiz 8-6 in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season visit game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 4th. As a result, Samsung, which won four consecutive games, won four games, tied one and lost two games, and KT, which lost two consecutive games, won five games and lost two games.

Unlike the previous day (3rd), when the tension could not be let go 2-1 until the ninth inning, a slugfest was staged from the beginning. As a result, starting pitchers struggled with Samsung's Choi Won-tae giving up five runs with seven hits, four walks, eight strikeouts, and five runs with KT's Soh Hyung-joon giving up nine hits (two home runs) and one walk and seven strikeouts in six innings.

There was also bad news. Right fielder Kim Sung-yoon was replaced in the bottom of the second inning due to discomfort in his left side, and shortstop Lee Jae-hyun was replaced in the bottom of the third inning due to right hamstring pain. The atmosphere was inevitably subdued as both young players moved directly to the hospital.

But veterans cheered up. Lewin Diaz of the central lineup scored an RBI single in the right place with four hits in five at-bats (one home run) and three RBIs. Ryu Ji-hyuk, the six-time winner, constantly created opportunities with three hits and three points from four times at bat on the same day, serving as a leadoff for the lower batting line.

The main character was definitely Kang Min-ho, the master of the house. Kang Min-ho had no hits in 15 at-bats in five games since the opening until the previous day (3rd). In response, coach Park Jin-man minimized the burden by lowering Kang Min-ho's batting order to No. 9. Kang Min-ho was the first and last in the starting lineup against Jamsil Doosan on June 5, 2009, when he was with the Lotte Giants.

Kang Min-ho hit hard with three hits and four RBIs in four at-bats. It was three hits out of nutritional value. He hit a timely hit in the top of the fourth inning with two outs and third base when he was losing 4-5. In the top of the eighth inning, when the score was tied at 6-6, he hit a timely two-run hit to become the winner of the game.

After the game, coach Park Jin-man said, "(Kang) Min-ho did it all. He must have been suffering a lot in the meantime, but he continued to show good performance after his first hit in the game today (4th). He also scored a decisive RBI." "I believe it will continue to hit well in the future. In addition to Min-ho, Diaz and (Ryu) Ji-hyuk led the lineup well," he said with strength.

Lee Seung-hyun and Choi Ji-kwang, the must-win groups, held the lead, which was hard to catch. Lee Seung-hyun came to first base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and caught Kim Sang-soo with just one pitch. It was a shortstop line drive. In the eighth inning, he struck out two with a changeup and a slider, creating a three-out inning.

The ninth inning was the last crisis. Choi Ji-kwang struck out Choi Won-joon and succeeded in catching Kim Hyun-soo with a ground ball at the first pitch. However, Ahn Hyun-min and Hilliard hit back-to-back hits, putting them on the verge of first and third bases. Coach Park Jin-man took the mound during the Hilliard at-bat and ordered the operation, and later confirmed his fourth consecutive win by treating the pinch-hitter Junghoon Lee as a line drive to the first baseman.

Lee Seung-hyun won his first game of the season and Choi Ji-kwang made his first save. Not only Choi Ji-kwang, who made the save, but Lee Seung-hyun is also the head coach who took care of it. Coach Park Jin-man said, "When I went to the mound in the ninth inning, I told Ji-kwang (Choi) to face him in a direction and confident manner rather than with strength."

"Seung-hyun threw very well, but I feel like his ball power has improved a lot. I was able to win because bullpen pitchers did not allow me to turn the tables, and I was able to win."

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*This content was translated by AI.