'First win of the season': Why did Choi Won-tae bow his head? "I'm sorry to Samsung fans, and to (Kang) Min-ho-hyung → It's because I kept performing poorly"

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung Lions right-handed starting pitcher Choi Won-tae (29) finally recorded his first win of the season after six games. However, before the joy of victory came the guilt of not fulfilling his role for the team and his teammates.

He especially conveyed special sentiments to Samsung fans and vowed to bounce back.

Choi Won-tae started against the Kiwoom Heroes in a home game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 6th, pitching 6⅓ innings with 3 hits allowed, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, and 1 earned run, delivering a strong performance to secure his first win of the season. Thanks to Choi's strong outing, Samsung defeated Kiwoom 2-1 and surged to a three-game winning streak.

Of the 99th pitches Choi threw that day, 71 were strikes. His fastball reached a top speed of 150 km/h. Through effective pitching, he succeeded in logging the longest innings of his appearances this season. His season ERA also improved from 6.29 to 5.28.

In a post-game interview, Choi showed more signs of reflection than joy at becoming the winning pitcher. He said, "It's not about the starting win; the team has been struggling because I've given up too many runs in the past, but today I'm satisfied that I managed to pitch long innings with the minimum number of runs allowed."

He especially did not forget his sense of guilt toward veteran catcher Kang Min-ho (41), with whom he had not been in sync during the first five games of the season. Working with Kim Do-hwan that day, Choi mentioned Kang Min-ho, saying, "Even though he guided me to good locations, I felt very sorry to (Kang) Min-ho-hyung because the results of the games I pitched in the past were poor. Still, I'm glad I managed to pitch well," as he bowed his head.

When asked about the secret to his strong performance that day, he pointed to changes in pitch selection. Choi stated, "I think it was effective to use more vertical movement than horizontal movement and increase the proportion of curveballs."

Regarding being replaced in the 7th inning with one out and a runner on second base, he said, "I knew Lee Seung-min would be there, so I naturally believed he would hold the line," and expressed gratitude, adding, "The manager ordered me to go with fastballs in the 7th, and that worked out well."

Choi Won-tae, who left the mound in the 7th inning to the cheers of Samsung home fans, said, "This is my first interview in Daegu since joining the team, and I only feel sorry that I should have performed well much earlier. If I had performed well, I would have done so long ago. I will strive to show good performances as soon as possible," conveying a sincere apology to the fans.

Mentioning Choi Hyung-woo's encouragement to avenge the sweep in the three-game away series against Kiwoom in April, Choi smiled as he said, "We've already won two games," and reaffirmed his resolve: "Starting from today, I will prepare well to be able to pitch long innings every time I take the mound."

Manager Park Jin-man also congratulated Choi on his first win, saying, "Choi Won-tae was a bit shaky in the first inning but quickly found his rhythm, held the mound for a long time, and showed his best performance of the season."

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*This content was translated by AI.