Why did the manager ultimately bow his head, calling it a "shameful game"? Yet there was still 'just one person' who received high praise as "Korea's best" [WC1 On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Doosan Bears' autumn baseball season came to an end after just one game. Although the trusted ace Kwak Bin pitched a strong game, it was painful that the lineup ultimately failed to produce runs. The manager pointed this out as the biggest reason for the defeat and ultimately bowed his head. However, there was still a figure who received high praise: none other than Kwak Bin, who has established himself as the best ace in the KBO League.

Doosan lost 1-4 to the LG Twins in Game 1 of the Wild Card series of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason, held at Seoul Jamsil Stadium on the 14th.

The team finishing fifth in the regular season must win both Game 1 and Game 2 of the Wild Card series to advance to the next stage, the semi-playoffs. However, having lost Game 1, the fifth-place Doosan concluded their 2026 baseball season with this game.

In the bottom of the first inning, starting pitcher Kwak Bin surrendered a two-run home run to Austin of LG, falling behind 0-2. Then, in the top of the seventh inning, with one out and the bases loaded, Yang Seok-hwan hit a sacrifice fly toward center field to score one run, but that was as far as they could go. In the subsequent opportunity with two outs and runners on second and third bases, pinch hitter Park Ji-hoon managed only a groundout.

In the top of the eighth inning, with one out and runners on first and second, Severino and Ryu Seung-min struck out consecutively. Ultimately, Doosan, who were held scoreless despite four hits, collapsed defensively in the bottom of the eighth inning and fell 1-4.

Doosan starter Kwak Bin pitched well over six innings, allowing three hits, striking out 10 batters, and giving up two runs, but he was saddled with the loss amid his team's offensive silence. Following him, Takada (one-third of an inning), Kim Tae-yeon (one-third of an inning), Jacklog (one-third of an inning), and Lee Young-ha (one inning) took the mound in turn, but none could secure a win.

After the game concluded, Doosan manager Kim Won-hyung began by saying, "It may sound like an excuse throughout the year, but our offensive options have been constantly blocked, and this was clearly evident in today's game as well. The players finished 144 games this season and ended their season with the Wild Card Game 1. I myself need to change my mindset and prepare for next season."

Regarding starter Kwak Bin's pitching, he said, "He wavered a bit in the early innings and gave up a home run, but true to his status as an ace of South Korea, he showed that he could take responsibility for six innings on his own. As I mentioned in my pre-game interview, it was not the Kwak Bin from a few years ago; it was a performance that makes one think of him simply as 'our country's best ace, Kwak Bin,'" sparing no praise.

Manager Kim stated, "First of all, the number five may not look good to some people, but I believe the players worked very hard this season. When I returned after two years to take over as Doosan manager, there were many frustrating things at first. However, as the season progressed, we saw the players gradually improving and young players growing. I really want to praise those players for doing a good job."

Manager Kim continued, "However, there are various difficult aspects within that. Sometimes I think simply. When I was a player, if I lost a game like this, I felt angry and momentarily wronged, but sometimes I thought, 'We can just do it again next year,' and prepared for the season with that easy mindset. But having gone through being a player, a coach, and a manager, I have felt that this is not an end, but another beginning. The players also need to have a fresh mindset. I too should approach things with such thoughts, so various feelings are crossing my mind. It is somewhat disappointing," bowing his head.

Then, Manager Kim pointed out specific details. He said, "In fact, small mistakes occurred today as well. I shouldn't mention specific players, but depending on the situation, one must consider who the batter and runner are, who is on base, and play accordingly when defending. One should also calculate in advance how the team formation is rotating and even that there is no defender at the next base. Such small details were lacking moment by moment. These can ultimately reduce the number of pitches. I think the situation where we were trailing 1-2 was really important, rather than going from 1-3 to 1-4. The end of the game was very disappointing. Even in defeat, it was a shameful game from the manager's perspective," swallowing his disappointment.

Nevertheless, Doosan, who finished ninth last season, achieved the result of advancing to autumn baseball as the fifth-place team this season. Manager Kim said firmly, "As I mentioned during the season, the pitchers held up well and performed better than I had expected. I think those aspects helped pull the team up to fifth place. There are certainly signs that the position players are gradually growing, but as I mentioned earlier, I don't think we should just end it here. I hope that the young players who played many games this season can feel for themselves and have serious contemplation and thoughts on how they should approach baseball going forward," looking ahead to the future.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original