The "secret weapon" is confirmed by Won Tae-in himself! "Standing by as the closer for Game 2 of the playoffs → I hope it turns out like Yamamoto"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Samsung Lions' "Ace with Blue Blood," Won Tae-in (26), directly acknowledged Manager Park Jin-man's plan for his "secret card" and candidly shared his inner thoughts about standing by to take over the back end of games.

Won Tae-in met with reporters ahead of Game 2 of the playoffs against the KIA Tigers, scheduled to be held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 27th. He stated, "Both the manager and the team asked me to keep it secret, so I kept my mouth shut. I understand that this was also conveyed to the teammates." He continued, "The manager directly said he would like me to serve as the closer, so I have been standing by in the background. I heard the same request today as well, so I am prepared to stand by."

Samsung lost 1-5 to KIA in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs, held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 26th. However, the absence of Won Tae-in's name from the list of non-participating players announced by the KBO before the game sparked significant attention, as he is a strong candidate to start Game 3. After the game, Manager Park Jin-man stated, "If the situation had allowed it, I might have sent him out. He was a secret card that could be used in the latter half of the game." This plan was fully confirmed through Won Tae-in's own words on the 27th.

The decision to change his role was made swiftly immediately after closer Kim Jae-yoon suffered an injury. Won Tae-in explained, "It was decided right after news broke that Jae-yoon hyung was injured. In fact, I had not been expecting it, but the manager requested it, and I have always believed that in a short series, one cannot insist on only performing the role they have always done." He added, "I also had a strong desire to make up for my sluggish performance during the regular season. If it could help the team advance to the Korea Series, I naturally thought I should do it. Although there were only a few days, I prepared extensively as a relief pitcher."

When he first received the proposal to take on the closer role, he was also quite taken aback. Won Tae-in admitted, "It is true that I was very surprised. While I had occasionally stood by in the bullpen, I had rarely actually pitched from there, and my only experience as a closer was one appearance during my rookie year." He revealed, "There were many burdens and worries ahead of me, but because the thought that I must perform perfectly since the role has been given to me was so overwhelming, I kept thinking about it a lot."

In fact, Won Tae-in was captured on broadcast footage warming up in the bullpen during the top of the 9th inning of Game 1. Regarding this, he said, "I did not know how to handle the closer role, so I sought a lot of advice from (Kim) Jae-yoon hyung in the locker room. Coach Park Seok-jin also suggested, 'Since we do not know how the closing situation will unfold, would it not be good to lightly warm up in the top of the 9th inning until the lead is four runs?' So I was warming up lightly." He reflected on the moment, "Even while warming up, I thought that if I had to go out, it would only be a situation where we could win Game 1. So I warmed up with the mindset that I hoped for a scenario where runners were on base and I could take the mound."

Of course, the most ideal scenario is his return as a starter. While Won Tae-in stated, "It would be best for the team if we won big today and I went out as the starter for Game 3," he also resolved himself by saying, "My starting routine has been disrupted to some extent, but in a short series, everything cannot be adjusted to fit me. No matter what the situation is, if the team tells me to go out, I will go out and pitch hard."

He was also unreserved about the number of innings he could handle if he took the mound. Won Tae-in said, "I will mainly go out in save situations, but since I was a starting pitcher, I stated that I can certainly handle multiple innings as well. I do not know from which inning I will come out, but I think that if I go out, I will pitch until the end." After smiling, he conveyed a cheerful ambition: "I hope it turns out like Yamamoto (Yoshinobu)." Yamamoto of the LA Dodgers also pitched from the bullpen after his starting appearance in the 2025 season Major League World Series, helping his team win the championship.

He also revealed advice passed on by closer Kim Jae-yoon, who is out due to injury. Won Tae-in shared, "I jokingly asked if it would be a problem if I went out to warm up during cleaning time, and Jae-yoon hyung gave me a tip saying, 'The closer does not have to go out during cleaning time.'" He added, "I also joked with Chris Fiddick, who recorded the loss yesterday, saying, 'Because of you, I could not go out as the closer yesterday,' to lighten the mood. Just like what I said to Huardo last year, we talked about pitching hard so that I can definitely be given another chance to make up for it."

Won Tae-in's strong will to "block any situation" is providing solid strength to the Samsung mound, which is aiming for a counterattack in Game 2.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original