'Three-game winning streak' Park Jin-man: "Two grand slams energized the dugout → Kim Sung-yoon's stellar defense and Choi Won-tae's pitching were major boosts"

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Jin-man (50), manager of the Samsung Lions, gave a thumbs-up to his team for achieving a decisive victory through perfect harmony between pitching and hitting.

On the 26th, Samsung secured a 12-2 rout against Kiwoom Heroes in an away game at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu during the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. The victory was powered by two grand slams from Choi Hyung-woo and Kim Young-woong, along with a quality start from starting pitcher Choi Won-tae.

After the game, manager Park Jin-man first praised starting pitcher Choi Won-tae, saying, "Choi Won-tae threw many pitches and held on for long innings very well." He then added, "In the lineup, Choi Hyung-woo's grand slam in the 1st inning and Kim Young-woong's grand slam in the 5th inning came at just the right timing, bringing great energy to the dugout," applauding the batters' focus.

He also did not forget to highlight outfielder Kim Sung-yoon as a hidden hero. Manager Park stated, "Above all, Kim Sung-yoon showed excellent defense multiple times early in today's game," and added, "It would be no exaggeration to say that Kim Sung-yoon's strong defense was a huge help for Choi Won-tae's six-inning pitching performance."

Samsung's lineup exploded from the top of the 1st inning. With bases loaded and no outs created by Park Seung-kyu's hit and consecutive walks, fourth batter Choi Hyung-woo connected with the first pitch from opposing starter Park Jun-hyun, launching a grand slam to center field (distance: 130 meters). Following this, Park Se-hyuk's two-run single with two outs and runners on first and third extended the lead to 5-0 in just the first inning.

When Kiwoom cut the deficit by two runs in the bottom of the 1st on Kim Geon-hee's two-run double, Samsung responded again in the top of the 5th with another grand slam. With bases loaded and no outs, Kim Young-woong drew a six-pitch walk from Kiwoom relief pitcher Jung Hyun-woo and hit a 135-meter grand slam over the left-center field fence, sealing the game's outcome.

Samsung completed their 12-2 victory with Kim Sung-yoon's sacrifice fly in the 5th inning and consecutive two-run singles by Kim Sung-yoon and Kim Ji-chan in the 9th. On this day, Samsung also set a new franchise record as only the fourth team in club history to hit two grand slams in a single game, adding to their joy.

On the mound, starting pitcher Choi Won-tae recorded a quality start with six innings, five hits allowed, six strikeouts, and two earned runs, earning his fifth win (seven losses) of the season. In the lineup, table-setters Park Seung-kyu and Kim Sung-yoon actively reached base to open up the offense, while Choi Hyung-woo and Kim Young-woong unleashed back-to-back grand slams to lead the team to a complete victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.