Even Choe Hyeong-woo went unused in a '2-hit shutout loss'; Manager Park Jin-man: "We had no opportunity to use him. We will do everything we can to win Game 2" [Daegu On-Site Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Samsung Lions lost without even using their super pinch-hitter card, Choe Hyeong-woo. The result was all the more bitter given that they managed only two hits in a poor offensive performance.

Samsung, led by Manager Park Jin-man (50), lost 1-5 to the KIA Tigers in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs (PO, best-of-five series) held on the 26th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

Although they had a two-week break as the second-place team and prepared for the PO with plenty of time, they were unable to exert any force against KIA, who advanced through the semi-playoffs, and bowed their heads in defeat. In the history of best-of-five PO series, the probability of the team losing Game 1 advancing to the Korea Series is only 22.9% (8/35). A victory in Game 2 became essential.

The collapse of trusted starting pitcher Chris Fiddick was painful. He started well by recording two strikeouts in the top of the first inning, but the cost of the walk he gave to Kim Do-young was too great. After allowing a stolen base to second, he conceded consecutive RBI hits to Harold Castro and Na Seong-beom. In the third inning, with two outs, he allowed a hit to Kim Do-young before giving up a decisive two-run home run to Castro. In the fourth inning, he also gave up a home run to Han Jun-su, widening the score gap to 0-5.

Samsung, which had been completely shut down by James Neale through the first out of the fifth inning, seized an opportunity to chase after a headshot ejection during Park Seung-gyu's at-bat, but managed to recover only one run.

Thereafter, they were held scoreless with just one hit in 4⅔ innings against the bullpen. The lineup fell silent with two hits for the entire game, and the match ended in a flow that was impossible to win.

After the game, Manager Park Jin-man said, "It seems we had a difficult game because Fiddick failed to contain KIA's core lineup from the start and allowed runs. I have many regrets."

He added, "Looking at the early innings, I judged that his command was better than during the regular season, but it seems the core hitters handled it well. It is regrettable that we gave Kim Do-young a walk in a favorable count and allowed Castro to hit a home run from a 0-2 count to make it 0-4. We gave up runs with two outs every time."

While Fiddick was an issue, the slump of the lineup, which managed only two hits, was even more painful. Manager Park stated, "KIA's core lineup was active, but our pitchers handled the rest of their lineup well. It seems we need to change tomorrow's LINEUP or members."

It was regrettable that they could not use Choe Hyeong-woo, who was waiting on the bench while Koo Ja-yuk played as the designated hitter. Manager Park Jin-man said, "There were no chances in the lineup. We cannot simply use Choe Hyeong-woo at will. We can only use the Choe Hyeong-woo card when runners are on base." He vowed, "It is disappointing, but there was no opportunity. It was a difficult game. If we let Game 2 slip away, the series becomes difficult. I think we must prepare to win by any means necessary."

Manager Park Jin-man, who intends to change the player composition and LINEUP, explained regarding the possibility of Choe Hyeong-woo starting, "I think we need to consider many things," adding, "We will have a meeting after entering the field and try to rearrange the LINEUP or batting order."

Due to the lineup's slump, they could not even bring out their trump card. Won Tae-in was listed as a non-participating player on this day, but he could have taken the mound if necessary. Manager Park said, "If the situation had arisen today, he might have gone out. He was a secret card we could use in the second half." He continued, "Since he did not pitch today, if a situation arises tomorrow where he needs to go out, we may make a change. If (Won) Tae-in does not go out tomorrow, he will start Game 3."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original