'With' Samsung declares all-out battle! Park Jin-man: "Kim Jae-yoon on standby again today; it's a big match... will go out depending on SV situation"

*This content was translated by AI.

Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man (50) declared an "all-out battle" to maintain their lead. Regarding closer Kim Jae-yoon (36), who threw 29 pitches over two innings the previous day (the 5th), Park stated, "He will go out if a save situation arises," indicating he is expected to appear in tomorrow's game as well.

Samsung will play an away game against LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 6th as part of the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League'. After securing a narrow 4-3 victory over KT Wiz on the same day (the 5th) following a tense 11-inning extra innings battle, Samsung reclaimed sole first place with a 0.5-game lead.

Before today's game, during an interview with reporters in the dugout, when asked whether they would rest Kim Jae-yoon, Manager Park firmly shook his head. The manager said, "He will be on standby today. It's a big match, so he must remain ready," while flashing his signature smile.

He continued, "If a save situation comes up, he will go onto the mound. Our team generally avoids having pitchers make three consecutive appearances. Even if Kim Jae-yoon pitches today, it wouldn't be three straight outings, but he threw 29 pitches yesterday and handled multiple innings. Still, given his strong will and the critical nature of the team's situation, we are keeping him on standby."

Kim Jae-yoon appeared in the bottom of the 9th inning with the score tied 3-3, bases loaded with no outs—a life-or-death crisis—and induced a strikeout and a ground out to keep the scoreless. He then held the mound through the bottom of the 10th inning, delivering a perfect two-inning scoreless performance that laid the foundation for victory in the extra-inning battle. This also extended his outstanding away-game record this season: 5 wins with no losses and 13 saves in 24 away games, maintaining an ERA of '0.00'.

When reporters jokingly noted that he is "unusually strong only on the road," Manager Park laughed heartily, saying, "He pitched well even in the previous game in Daegu." He added, "His recent condition has improved significantly. After reaching 30 saves for the first time in a while, he seems full of confidence. His balance is good, and he continues to deliver aggressive pitching that overwhelms batters," offering high praise without reservation.

Meanwhile, Samsung made some changes to its lineup today. The starting lineup was arranged as follows: Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Park Seung-gyu (right fielder), Koo Ja-wook (left fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Lewin Diaz (first baseman), Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman), Kang Min-ho (catcher), Jeon Byung-woo (third baseman), and Lee Jae-hyun (shortstop). Kim Sung-yoon and Kim Young-woong, who started on the 5th, were removed from the lineup. Regarding this change, Manager Park Jin-man stated, "Kim Sung-yoon and Kim Young-woong have recently shown a slight dip in form. On the other hand, players like Jeon Byung-woo are performing well, so we made changes to the lineup."

On the mound today, Ariel Jurado will make his starting appearance, returning to the first division after 61 days following the termination of Austin Bost's contract. Manager Park explained, "We gave him about ten days of rest in the Futures League and focused on thorough buildup. Today, he is prepared to handle up to around 100 pitches, though we do not plan for him to exceed that number."

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*This content was translated by AI.