"Left-handed starter Lee Seung-hyun's role? Undecided → I'll break the losing streak first and then consider it," Park Jin-man stated directly.

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man (50) commented on the pitching of left-handed pitcher Lee Seung-hyun (24), who made his starting return the previous day (24th). Regarding the game performance, he diagnosed that Lee failed to properly manage the ball count and stated that his future role has not yet been determined.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the away game against Kiwoom Heroes at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome on the 25th, Manager Park Jin-man evaluated Lee Seung-hyun's pitching: "He couldn't get a proper count early on. Eventually, trying to avoid a walk from a disadvantageous count, he ended up throwing the ball right down the middle and got hit. That pattern kept repeating. We thought the velocity was fine at 145 km/h in the early innings, but it wavered a bit after that."

Lee Seung-hyun started against Kiwoom on the 24th, pitching 2⅔ innings, allowing 6 hits, issuing 2 walks, recording 1 strikeout, and taking the loss after giving up 4 earned runs. After allowing 11 hits, 8 walks, and 12 earned runs in 2⅔ innings against Gwangju KIA on the 8th, he returned to the first division following adjustments in the minor league, but he could not complete even 3 innings. In particular, his batting average against remained high. Facing Kiwoom batters 15 times on the 24th, he surrendered 6 hits. In terms of batting average against Kiwoom batters, it stood at 0.500, which is still not good.

Attention now turns to Lee Seung-hyun's next start. First, the starting pitchers for the away game against Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium on the 28th have been confirmed as Ariel Jurado, Jack O'Clarin, and Choi Won-tae in that order. When asked about Lee Seung-hyun's next start schedule, Manager Park Jin-man replied, "We are looking at the situation a bit more. As you know, there are many injured players. We will monitor the variables a bit more. There may be changes to the plan. Above all, this is because we must break the losing streak right now."

As Manager Park stated, Samsung is currently in a five-game losing streak. Having raced for the league lead, they have now fallen to fourth place. Above all, breaking the losing streak is essential to re-enter the race for the top spots. First, they have scheduled 'rookie' Jang Chan-hee to start against Kiwoom on the 26th, giving additional rest to right-handed pitcher Choi Won-tae.

Ultimately, the future utilization of the 'left-handed starter Lee Seung-hyun card' is expected to fluctuate depending on when the losing streak is broken. It seems key to see how long Jang Chan-hee, scheduled to start on the 26th, can hold on, and whether the lineup can provide the necessary scoring support to escape the losing streak.

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*This content was translated by AI.