'Identical 9th inning, two outs, bases-loaded situation with Lee Ui-ri' Two days earlier, he was replaced after just two pitches; this time, he was kept in until the end... Why did Manager Lee Beom-ho's choice differ?

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho (45) made different choices in identical 9th-inning, two-outs, bases-loaded situations with a two-day interval. Two days earlier in Changwon, he watched just two pitches and immediately replaced Lee Ui-ri (24), but two days later in Gwangju, he kept him in until the end. What exactly was different?

Manager Lee Beom-ho shared the story behind his visit to the mound on the evening of the 4th, ahead of the KT Wiz game in Gwangju on the 5th, during a bases-loaded, two-out situation in the bottom of the 9th inning.

KIA was leading 3-2. Relief pitcher Lee Ui-ri, who had entered as the closer, struggled from the start. He allowed consecutive hits to Heo Kyung-min and Moon Sang-cheol, then gave up an infield grounder by Kim Min-seok that resulted in one out with runners on second and third. Against Kim Sang-su, he first took two strikes but then issued four straight walks, loading the bases. Although he struck out Jang Jun-won on three pitches, he faced .300 hitter Choi Won-jun with two outs and the bases loaded.

At that moment, Manager Lee Beom-ho headed to the mound. The manager said, "I asked Ui-ri if he could pitch in this situation. Since Ui-ri is a good-natured player, I was worried whether he could still pitch under such pressure." He added, "I wanted to see not only what he said but also his expression. If he looked bad, I would have prepared another pitcher, but he appeared calm and fine."

This visit was not merely to check his current pitching form. Just two days earlier in Changwon, a similar incident had occurred. On the 2nd, during the NC Dinos game in Changwon, Lee Ui-ri experienced the same situation. He had entered the mound in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied at 2-2 and was shaken after allowing a double to Lee Woo-seong and a walk to Blaine Crim. Although he escaped the immediate danger by getting Park Geon-woo and Kim Hwi-jip on consecutive fly outs to the outfield, he then gave up a straight fastball walk to Ahn Jung-yeol, bringing about another bases-loaded crisis.

At that time, Manager Lee Beom-ho did not visit the mound and simply watched. However, after seeing that two pitches thrown by Lee Ui-ri to Kim Hyung-jun veered significantly outside, he replaced him with Sung Young-tak on the mound. The result was also unfavorable. Sung Young-tak issued three straight walks to Kim Hyung-jun, allowing a bases-loaded walk, and KIA suffered a 2-3 extra-inning loss.

Two days later, the same 9th-inning, two-outs, bases-loaded situation returned. This time, the manager went up to the mound himself to check Lee Ui-ri's condition first. After observing his expression, he made his decision: to keep him in until the end. The remaining Lee Ui-ri eventually allowed a bases-loaded walk after an eight-pitch duel with Choi Won-jun, tying the game at 3-3.

It could have easily repeated the nightmare from two days earlier. However, he did not collapse. He handled the follow-up hitter Kim Hyun-su on a center field fly out, preventing any go-ahead run. Then, in the top of the 10th inning, KIA's lineup produced the winning run, and the team secured a 4-3 victory, ending their losing streak.

More than the win itself, what pleased the manager was that Lee Ui-ri did not shy away from facing the same crisis again.

The manager smiled and said, "I thought I had to push forward with Ui-ri, who accepted the situation calmly. Even in such a situation, he pitched without any problems. He needs to go through these experiences so that he can grow further later on. After allowing the tying run, Ui-ri handled Kim Hyun-su well, which allowed us to turn the game around. I believe he will get even better."

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*This content was translated by AI.