'A sweep of the three-game series in Incheon for the first time in 12 years,' Park Jin-man: "Yang Chang-seop's brilliant pitching → closer Kim Hyun-jun → Kang Min-ho's two three-run home runs → a perfect victory"

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Jin-man (50), manager of the Samsung Lions, could not hide his joy after achieving Samsung's first-ever sweep of a three-game road series in Incheon since the 2014 season — a feat accomplished for the first time in 12 years. He described it as nothing short of a perfect victory with both pitching and hitting performing flawlessly.

On the 5th, Samsung crushed the SSG Landers at IncheonSSG Landers Field in a '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League' road game, racking up 13 hits across all innings for a decisive 13-3 victory. By the bottom of the sixth inning, the score had already reached 11-0, effectively sealing the win. With this triumph, second-place Samsung extended its winning streak to four games and narrowed the gap with first-place LG Twins from 1.5 games to just one game. This sets the stage for Samsung to potentially claim sole possession of first place depending on the outcome of their final mid-season three-game series starting the 7th.

Notably, this sweep marks a historic milestone achieved after 4,399 days. Samsung's last sweep of a three-game road series in Incheon occurred from June 17 to 19, 2014 (against SK at the time), during their dynasty era. Back then, pitchers Vandenhulck, Im Chang-yong, and Martin secured consecutive wins while dominating the Incheon venue. Ironically, manager Park Jin-man was an active player for SK at that time but could not participate in the series due to injury.

On the mound, starting pitcher Yang Chang-seop delivered a standout performance. Over 5⅔ innings, he allowed seven hits, struck out two batters, issued one walk, and surrendered three runs (two earned), effectively shutting down the SSG lineup to earn his seventh win of the season without a loss. After Yang was relieved, the bullpen — consisting of Lee Jae-hee, Lee Seung-min, Choi Ji-kwang, and Im Ki-young — maintained a flawless shutout, allowing zero additional runs to preserve the victory.

The offense unleashed devastating power. Third-order batter Kim Hyun-jun went 3-for-4 with two walks and four RBIs, while veteran Kang Min-ho led the team's attack with a one-man show: five at-bats, two hits, six RBIs, including two home runs.

After the game, manager Park Jin-man praised starter Yang Chang-seop: "Although Yang showed some signs of struggle in the sixth inning, his excellent performance through the fifth inning kept the scoreless and allowed our offense to gain momentum." He added, "He has consistently delivered strong pitching in recent games, which gives me great confidence as a manager," expressing deep trust in the starting pitcher.

Park also heaped praise on the explosive hitting lineup that produced 13 hits across all innings. "Thanks to Kim Hyun-jun, we were able to seize early control of the game," Park said. "His two-run double with two outs and bases loaded in the second inning decisively shifted momentum in our favor. As the third-order batter, he played a crucial role as a problem-solver at key moments."

Finally, the manager highlighted Kang Min-ho's impact: "Kang Min-ho's two three-run home runs were decisive blows that crushed any hope of a comeback from the opponent." He concluded, "Overall, our fielders maintained sharp focus and our offense was highly active, enabling us to secure a perfect 13-3 victory."

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*This content was translated by AI.