A "first in history" ejection for a headshot in the Playoffs: Manager Lee Beom-ho had it all planned out — 'Jung Hae-young → Lee Yi-ri → Gwak Do-gyu → Jeon Sang-hyun' KIA plan hits the mark perfectly [PO1 Manager Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The first incident in Playoffs (PO) history. Who could have possibly predicted it? Nevertheless, the KIA Tigers handled the situation well and managed to secure a victory. This was thanks to Manager Lee Beom-ho's (45) meticulous planning for any contingency.

KIA, led by Manager Lee Beom-ho, defeated the Samsung Lions 5-1 in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs (best-of-five series) held on the 26th at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

In the history of best-of-five PO series, the team winning Game 1 has advanced to the Korea Series with a probability of 77.1% (27/35). Although KIA came up through the Junior Playoffs, they are now in the position of being the top dog.

On the offensive side, Kim Do-young, placed at the center of the lineup, along with Castro and Na Seung-beom, who hit the go-ahead home run, took all the credit.

However, the true turning point was on the mound. Starting pitcher James Neil had perfectly shut down the opposition with 51 pitches through one out in the 5th inning, but a pitch he threw to Park Seung-gyu headed for his head, resulting in an ejection for a headshot.

There were no relievers warming up in the KIA bullpen. This was because Neil's pitching had been flawless, and based on his pitch count, he appeared capable of pitching through the 7th or 8th innings.

Jung Hae-young (25⅔ innings), who rushed to warm up and take the mound, allowed a hit and a run scored by an inherited runner from Neil, but there were no further runs allowed. From the 6th inning onward, Lee Yi-ri, Jo Sang-woo (both 1⅓ innings), Gwak Do-gyu (⅓ inning), and Jeon Sang-hyun (1 inning) took the mound in succession, delivering a relay of scoreless pitching.

After the game, Manager Lee Beom-ho praised his team, saying, "The batters did a good job attacking Felix early on. The fact that they well relieved the tension that could have arisen in the early innings was the driving force behind our victory." He added, "Our middle relievers also pitched well by shortening their outings, allowing us to win Game 1."

The reason he did not panic even at the moment of Neil's ejection was that a specific plan had been laid out. The manager explained, "I had thought about how to manage the bullpen if Neil pitched five innings. If he pitched short, I planned to have (Jung) Hae-young and (Lee) Yi-ri take the mound early, followed by our key relievers." He continued, "Neil pitched close to five innings. It was sudden, but we had prepared for it. The pitchers coming out of the bullpen held firm without wavering and pitched well."

Manager Lee could not help but be flustered. However, he had to become even colder. "Rather than worrying about the headshot itself, I first had to consider who to use, so I went to check the scorecard. After that, I brought Hae-young up first and then considered who would be better next, having both left-handed and right-handed pitchers warming up together. Although we prepared for this before the game, I paid extra attention because I could not afford to make a mistake," he revealed.

Of course, it was not a situation where Jung Hae-young could have fully warmed up. No one could have predicted that Neil would throw a headshot at that point. Had it not been for the headshot, the flow of the game suggested he could have pitched at least seven innings. The bullpen itself was not in a position to be warming up.

Manager Lee stated, "(Jung) Hae-young may not have been warming up, but we had discussed which players to use for short outings if he came down in the 5th inning, so Hae-young was the first to start warming up, and we immediately prepared (Seong) Yeong-tak and Yi-ri." He added, "We check on such things before the game and tell the pitchers which innings they might enter, so they prepare accordingly. I believe we were ready without any issues from the 5th inning onward."

Although they could not prevent a run scored by an inherited runner, Jung Hae-young's pitching was crucial in holding the line during the most critical moment. Manager Lee said, "The pitcher who comes out in such a hurry is prone to waver, but as Hae-young took the mound, we immediately prepared Yi-ri and Yeong-tak. Even though Hae-young did not throw many pitches, his speed was at its peak." He continued, "We had prepared for him to enter around the 6th inning. He held firm without wavering against one run, creating an opportunity for the subsequent pitchers to pitch well."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original