'Shock': Korea's ERA leader allows 10 runs; commander-in-chief eventually calls him separately, what message was conveyed? [Jamsil On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Doosan Bears manager Kim Won-hyeong personally conveyed a message of comfort to pitcher Choi Min-seok (20), who collapsed after the shocking 10-run loss the previous day (the 24th).

Doosan will face the Samsung Lions in a regular-season home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the afternoon of the 25th at 6 p.m.

Doosan suffered a decisive 4-15 defeat to Samsung the previous day (the 24th), losing the first of three weekend games. It was particularly painful that Choi Min-seok, who leads the league in ERA, started but collapsed early after allowing 7 hits, issuing 4 walks, recording 1 strikeout over 2⅔ innings (72 pitches), and surrendering 10 runs (4 earned). Choi postponed his pursuit of 10 wins and took his third loss of the season.

Ahead of the game on the following day, the 25th, Manager Kim said regarding Choi Min-seok, "Samsung really hit well." He added, "(Before Park Chan-ho's) error, they got some hits in good spots rather than just solid contact. After that, they managed to hit effectively with fast counts. They did give up one run in the second inning, but overall, I think Min-seok's pitches were fine. However, in a crisis situation, it was indeed the hitting of a team leading the league."

He continued, "Actually, if the game had ended due to an error, that would have been the best scenario. But errors can happen inevitably during a game. Even when an error occurs, the best outcome is for the pitcher to quickly get out of the inning, but with how they hit, there was no answer." He then added, "For Min-seok, this marks the most runs allowed since he joined the professional league. Of course, it's best that such a situation doesn't happen again, but sometimes games like this occur."

It was also regrettable that Choi Min-seok gave up a two-run, bases-clearing hit to Choi Hyung-woo with one out and the bases loaded before Park Chan-ho's throwing error in the third inning, allowing him to quickly slip past the first baseman. If the ball had been caught there, Doosan could have turned a double play and ended the inning.

Regarding this situation, Manager Kim explained, "There was no defensive shift; it was standard positioning. If the batter were a fast runner, the first baseman would likely have thrown home to see if he could get an out in that formation, but as far as I know, Choi Hyung-woo is not known for sprinting at full speed. So we played standard positioning, and unfortunately, the ball went right there. If we had shifted more toward the line side, the ball between first and second base likely would have been a hit."

When asked about Choi Min-seok's reaction during the meeting, Manager Kim said with a smile, "He seemed to feel quite sorry about it, so I told him it was okay. How much has he contributed over time? For example, if it were (Kwak) Bin, would I have called him in? I even considered that. Well, maybe I could have called him in. Still, Min-seok is such a young player, so his sense of guilt must be quite strong. We haven't had any special one-on-one talks before because he has performed so well personally, but today I decided to call him in and talk to him to offer comfort."

Meanwhile, Doosan set its starting lineup for the day as follows: Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Son Ah-seop (designated hitter), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), Severino (first baseman), Jung Soobin (center fielder), Kim Daehun (right fielder), and Lee Yu-chan (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Jack Log. In response, Samsung lined up its batting order as follows: Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Kim Sung-yoon (right fielder), Koo Ja-wook (designated hitter), Diaz (first baseman), Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop), Kim Heon-gon (left fielder), Kim Young-woong (third baseman), Kim Do-hwan (catcher), and Shim Jae-hoon (second baseman). The starting pitcher was Won Tae-in.

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

*This content was translated by AI.