"It wasn't a bench instruction": KIA manager reveals the truth behind 'LG Austin's intentional walk' [On-site from Game 1 of the Semi-Playoffs]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Manager Lee Beom-ho of the KIA Tigers, who secured a victory in Game 1 of the fateful Semi-Playoffs (best-of-five series), shared his thoughts on the win.

On the 17th, KIA won their home game against the LG Twins by a score of 5-1 in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Semi-Playoffs, held at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

Having entered the Semi-Playoffs as the third-place team in the regular season, KIA secured a decisive victory in Game 1, seizing a favorable position toward advancing to the Playoffs.

The hero of the day was undoubtedly Kim Do-young. With the teams tied at 1-1 and no runners on base in the bottom of the fourth inning, Kim Do-young crushed a first-pitch fastball (149 km/h) thrown by LG starter Anders Tolhurst into the inner zone, hitting a solo home run over the left-field fence. It was the moment KIA took the lead 2-1.

Kim Do-young's performance continued. In the bottom of the sixth inning, with KIA leading 2-1 and runners on first and third with no outs, Kim Do-young hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring a valuable additional run. It did not end there. In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the team leading 3-1 and a runner on first with two outs, Kim Do-young attacked a forkball (133 km/h) thrown down the middle as the sixth pitch in a full count against LG reliever Jang Hyun-seok, launching a two-run home run over the center-field fence. It was the go-ahead home run that extended the lead to 5-1. Ultimately, thanks to Kim Do-young's impressive performance of two home runs and four RBIs, KIA was able to take the valuable first game.

After the game, "winning manager" Lee Beom-ho of KIA began by saying, "It was a very important first game, so I am glad we could win again at home. The players prepared well. I think it was a satisfying game in terms of how they played."

He then praised Kim Do-young's outstanding performance, stating, "I can only say 'amazing.' It seems he definitely knows how to hit home runs. When his timing is right, good hits come out. He is also the player who has hit the most home runs this season, but it seems he showed well in Game 1 of the Postseason that depending on how a player named Kim Do-young performs when it matters, it can bring significant changes to the team," while giving a thumbs up.

Park Jae-hyun, who made his postseason debut as the leadoff hitter today, managed only four at-bats with no hits in the batter's box. To make matters worse, he committed a critical error on defense. During the top of the fifth inning, his path overlapped with that of center fielder Kim Ho-ryeong, resulting in a dropped catch error.

Nevertheless, the manager wrapped him in warm support. Manager Lee said, "The fact that young players can gain experience in such big games is a very good thing. I do not think too much about it. There is also Game 2, and there are many more games to be played ahead. Even if he struggled in Game 1, he can work through it again in Game 2. For Castro and Kim Do-young to get opportunities, Park Jae-hyun needs to come alive. If he gets a hit and makes good plays on defense, he will quickly find his own pace," expressing his trust.

Regarding the defensive collision in the fifth inning, he added, "I think it was a situation where we needed to call out more loudly. There would have been cheers from the crowd, and since the wind was blowing from right to left, (Kim) Ho-ryeong probably thought it was his ball. (Park) Jae-hyun likely judged that he would catch it when the ball came toward him. While this is not a situation that often occurs in the pennant race, we need to check carefully for factors like wind and environment. Especially in day games, there are many cases where the batted ball is obscured by sunlight, appearing and then disappearing. We will need to pay more attention to such aspects going forward."

In today's game, KIA starter Neil faced Austin in the sixth inning with no outs and a runner on second. After throwing three consecutive balls, Neil immediately opted for an automatic intentional walk without any additional pitches. Regarding this, Manager Lee explained, "Neil probably wanted to save even one pitch. If he had gone for a strike from a 3-ball count, he might have been hit for extra bases. Even if he had gotten ahead in the count there, it could have led to a situation where he had to throw three or four more pitches. Rather, because the count was 3-0 balls, I think he decided to give a walk and deal carefully with the next batter. If you are at the level of a team ace, I believe such a choice is natural in a 3-ball situation. By cutting it off that way, I judge that he was able to pitch with more confidence and focus. In fact, after giving the walk, he handled the subsequent batters more carefully and effectively."

Neil also shared his thoughts on the situation at the time: "I intuitively felt that this was the biggest turning point of the day. So I tried to concentrate even more. I think my strength is inducing strikeouts or ground balls. I wanted to use those strengths to finish the inning. I always firmly believe that our defense will complete double plays. In doing so, we managed to get through a big crisis well."

KIA has been relying on Jeon Sang-hyun to guard the back door since late in the season. Regarding pitch count and fatigue, Manager Lee said, "It is true that I am worried," but added, "With a score of 5-1, it was a bit difficult to make a change. If we had scored one or two more runs, I was considering changing pitchers. But now is the most important time. (Jeon) Sang-hyun has an absolute influence on the team as our closer. In the current situation, I do not think we can take Jeon Sang-hyun out of the game. I believe it is more important for us to check his condition and physical state more perfectly to determine if he will be able to pitch in the next game. We will prepare for Game 2 as well, but if a crucial save situation arises, I naturally think Jeon Sang-hyun should go out and shut it down," revealing deep trust.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original