KIA's 'This Pitcher' Will See His Market Value Skyrocket Even Further → But Why Did the Manager Keep Saying "I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry"? [On the Scene: Wild Card Series Game 2]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Unless it amounts to overuse that crosses a certain line, it is only natural for any player to want to take the field. One would naturally feel nothing but gratitude toward the manager who trusts and deploys them in such a way. However, the manager instead repeatedly said "I'm sorry." This is the story of Manager Lee Beom-ho (45), who leads the KIA Tigers, and Jeon Sang-hyun (30), who has been dominating as the closer even in this postseason.

On the 18th, KIA defeated the LG Twins 6-3 in a home game for the second match of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Wild Card Series (best-of-five) at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.

Having won the first game of the Wild Card Series 5-1, KIA secured back-to-back victories on their home turf. As a result, KIA has raised its probability of advancing to the Playoffs to 77.8% (based on historical data where 7 out of 9 teams that won the first two games of a best-of-five Wild Card Series advanced), securing a favorable position for a Playoff berth.

KIA scored five runs in just the first inning by attacking LG starter Im Chan-gyu. Following a single and stolen base by Park Jae-hyun after one out, and a walk by Kim Do-young to create runners on first and second, Harold Castro led off with a go-ahead RBI hit, followed by consecutive RBI hits from Na Sung-bum, Kim Sun-bin, and Han Jun-su. Ultimately, although KIA allowed LG to mount a chase at one point, they secured the winning run in the eighth inning to claim a 6-3 victory.

KIA starter Oller pitched well for six innings, allowing six hits, one walk, striking out eight, and giving up two runs (two earned), earning the win. He threw a total of 94 pitches. Following him, Gwak Do-gyu (0 innings), Sung Young-tak (1 inning), Jo Sang-woo (2/3 innings, 1 run allowed), and Jeon Sang-hyun (1 inning) took the mound in succession to protect the team's lead. In the offense, which recorded a total of eight hits, Park Jae-hyun and Castro performed with multiple hits.

Above all, the performance of KIA closer Jeon Sang-hyun shone brightly. Earlier, Jo Sang-woo allowed a run, putting KIA in a tight spot at 3-6 in the top of the eighth inning. It was Jeon Sang-hyun who took the mound with two outs and runners on first and second. The batter he immediately faced was LG slugger Lee Jae-won. Jo Sang-hyun threw three consecutive sliders to end the inning with a three-pitch strikeout. Ultimately, taking the mound again in the ninth inning, Jeon Sang-hyun recorded groundouts against Oh Ji-hwan, Park Dong-won, and Gu Bon-hyuk, securing a save and protecting the team's victory.

After the game, Jeon Sang-hyun was selected as the Daily Most Valuable Player (MVP). In the first game of the Wild Card Series on the 17th, Jeon Sang-hyun entered in relief with two outs and a runner on first in the eighth inning; although he allowed two hits through the ninth, he effectively shut down the opposition for 1 1/3 scoreless innings. With this game, he has now recorded multi-inning saves on consecutive days.

The "winning manager," Lee Beom-ho, expressed his sincere feelings regarding Jeon Sang-hyun's pitching after the game ended: "He has been throwing a lot of pitches, so as the manager, I feel sorry for him." He added, "Still, Jeon Sang-hyun needs to hold the fort well from behind so that both fans and players can leave the stadium smiling. We don't know how many more games we will play, but if Jeon Sang-hyun shuts them down well, we will be able to finish the game with a pleasant victory. As the manager, I feel sorry, but I hope he can push himself just a little harder for the team," expressing his trust in the pitcher.

Jeon Sang-hyun also revealed his joy in an interview with reporters after the game: "I wanted to win both the first and second games before heading to (Jamsil), so I'm glad that's how it turned out. My physical condition is good. Since the manager trusts me enough to entrust the game to me, I want to approach it with a sense of responsibility." Regarding Manager Lee's comments, he said, "The manager often makes such remarks jokingly in everyday life. I just try to think that I should do what I need to do." He continued, "Since the schedule involves pitching one day and resting the next, (pitching in every game) is possible. Because our offense is doing well, if we score a lot of runs, I will be able to take the mound in an even more comfortable situation," vowing to perform well.

This season, Jeon Sang-hyun appeared in 46 games, recording a record of 4 wins, 2 losses, 4 saves, and 15 holds with an ERA of 2.33. In his last 10 games at the end of the regular season, he posted a sub-1.00 ERA (0.73), demonstrating his dominance. Above all, he showed an extremely strong form against LG this season with a record of 2 wins, no losses, 1 save, and an ERA of 0.00. Jeon Sang-hyun's salary for this season is 310 million won. If this level of stellar performance in crucial situations continues, it would be entirely unsurprising if his market value skyrocketed next season.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original