"The lineup was frustrating..." Back-to-back 9 runners left for Samsung 9→Park Jin-man praises Yang Chang-seop's fighting spirit and Kim Jae-yoon's 'emptying the bases' heroics

*This content was translated by AI.

As the Samsung Lions defeated the Kiwoom Heroes in a grueling extra-inning battle to secure a valuable winning series, Manager Park Jin-man (50) spared no praise for starting pitcher Yang Chang-seop, who displayed fighting spirit despite being hit by a pitch in the bottom of the 4th inning, and closer Kim Jae-yoon, along with the rest of the bullpen pitchers, who prevented a life-or-death crisis.

On the 23rd, Samsung secured a 3-1 victory in an away game against Kiwoom at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.' The win came thanks to Lee Jae-hyun's walk-off sacrifice fly and Kim Young-ung's RBI single in the top of the 11th inning. With this victory, Samsung completed a three-game midweek series with a winning streak.

On this day, Samsung pitchers allowed just one run over 11 innings against Kiwoom. Starting pitcher Yang Chang-seop delivered an excellent performance, pitching six scoreless innings while allowing six hits and recording two strikeouts. Notably, although he was struck by An Chi-hong's hard-hit ball in the bottom of the 4th inning, which hit his thigh, he held the mound until the 6th inning.

Following him, right-handed pitcher Lee Seung-hyun, along with Lee Seung-min, Kim Tae-hoon, Lee Jae-hee, and Kim Jae-yoon, pitched well. In particular, Kim Jae-yoon entered the game in the bottom of the 9th with one out and bases loaded, pitching a scoreless inning to end that frame, then returned to the mound for both the 10th and 11th innings to close out the game. He recorded 2⅔ scoreless innings, marking his longest outing since joining Samsung. However, the offense was disappointing. Although they managed eight hits across all types of at-bats, they only scored three runs. Notably, they left nine runners on base for back-to-back days following the game on the 22nd.

After the game, Samsung Manager Park Jin-man showered the pitching staff, who played a pivotal role on the mound, with unreserved praise. Manager Park stated, "Although starting pitcher Yang Chang-seop unfortunately did not earn the win, he showed near-perfect performance by displaying fighting spirit even after being hit by a pitch," highly commending his outstanding pitching as a starter.

He also gave a thumbs-up to the bullpen and closer Kim Jae-yoon for their ability to handle institutional investor-level pressure situations. Manager Park added, "The bullpen allowed only one run and all pitchers delivered strong performances. In particular, Kim Jae-yoon entered in a critical situation with bases loaded and one out in the 9th inning, holding firm until the end and laying the foundation for victory," sparing no words of praise.

Finally, Manager Park remarked, "Although the lineup was frustrating, we did not lose focus until the very end. Thanks to Lee Jae-hyun and Kim Young-ung recording key RBIs, we secured the win," offering encouragement for the fielders' late-game concentration before concluding his remarks.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.