At the news of Jang Jin-hyeok's walk-off home run, Won Tae-in also offered a wry smile, saying, "Really... this series is going to be even more fun."

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung Lions' "native ace" Won Tae-in (26) displayed a cheerful yet confident attitude ahead of the crucial showdown against KT Wiz in the upcoming three-game series over the weekend. Although he will not start in this series, he also expressed his desire to end the season on a high note.

On the 27th, Won Tae-in made a starting appearance in an away game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, delivering a quality start (QS) with six innings pitched, allowing six hits and two earned runs. With explosive offensive support from his teammates, Samsung secured a decisive 15-2 victory, extending their winning streak to four games and building momentum ahead of the upcoming three-game home series against KT.

As the winning pitcher (his seventh win of the season), Won Tae-in met with reporters after the game, saying, "I'm satisfied that I laid a solid foundation for the team to win," and added, "Thanks to our position players scoring many runs early on, I was able to pitch comfortably." He credited his teammates for the victory.

On this day, attention in the professional baseball world was focused not only at Gocheok but also in Suwon. While Samsung had already secured a commanding lead, KT, currently in first place, was engaged in a tense extra-inning battle against the Doosan Bears in Suwon. Had KT lost, Samsung would have seized the top spot.

Won Tae-in also closely monitored the situation at other stadiums. He stated, "I couldn't see it while I was pitching, but as soon as I finished and came down, I checked the score of the Suwon game. At that moment, it was tied." During the interview, upon hearing from reporters that Jang Jin-hyeok of KT had hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning, he let out a deep sigh and broke into a wry smile.

Won Tae-in said, "Really..." while shaking his head, then added, "Yesterday, since I was scheduled to start today, I went back to my lodging early. After finishing all game analysis, I turned on the Suwon broadcast and saw Doosan take the lead, so I thought, 'That's it!' But in the end, KT won." He laughed cheerfully. Nevertheless, he emphasized, "Both teams will meet this weekend in excellent form. I think fans will enjoy an even more exciting series."

Naturally, memories of the 2021 season tiebreaker were evoked. At that time, Won Tae-in started the decisive game against KT, pitching six scoreless innings with one earned run allowed, but his team ultimately lost 0-1. His opponent, William Cuevas, earned the win after a seven-inning scoreless performance.

When asked about the tiebreaker, Won Tae-in said firmly, "It's a painful memory, but it actually serves as great motivation. Since many of the veterans who experienced that time are still on the team, it provides strong motivation for the entire roster." When questioned whether he would be willing to pitch again if another tiebreaker occurred this season, he waved his hands and made reporters laugh, saying, "I have no intention of going out. Fedex is doing so well, and I think the manager won't send me out anyway." He then added, "If the rotation ends up that way, I'd be unhappy, but perhaps we should use those memories to deliver a good game."

Finally, Won Tae-in said, "I want to keep building wins steadily until the end of the season without games being postponed due to rain and aim to reverse our standings," before heading to Daegu.

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*This content was translated by AI.