"Why use him with a 5-run lead?" Won Tae-in: "The manager seems to view me as the closer," but was there a plan behind it to start Jang Chan-hee, the 'KIA killer'? [PO2]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The closer card, Won Tae-in (26). It was a prerequisite for victory that the Samsung Lions, who lost Game 1, declared they "must win no matter what." They secured the win as planned, but used Won Tae-in as the closer with a 5-run lead. Despite the victory, a sense of unease remained in one corner.

The Samsung team, led by Manager Park Jin-man (50), showcased perfect pitching and batting harmony to secure an 8-3 victory over the KIA Tigers in Game 2 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs (best-of-five series) held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 27th.

The Samsung team, which finished the season in second place and had been waiting, saw its probability of reaching the Korea Series drop to 22.9% (8/35) following the loss in Game 1. It was a game where a win was absolutely necessary.

The lineup, which had managed only two hits the previous day, exploded. In the bottom of the third inning, trailing 0-1, Park Seung-gyu's tying hit and Koo Ja-wook's go-ahead hit were followed by Lewin Diaz's two-run home run, completely shifting the momentum.

In the fifth inning, with two outs, the lineup's focus shone again. Park Seung-gyu's infield hit forced starting pitcher Adam Oler off the mound, and against the new pitcher Lee Yi-ri, they combined two walks and one hit-by-pitch to add another run. In the sixth inning, three hits and a sacrifice fly further extended their lead.

Starting pitcher Ariel Hurdado also pitched 6⅔ innings, throwing 108 pitches to limit damage to two runs. This allowed them to minimize bullpen usage as well.

However, using Won Tae-in at the end of the game was somewhat puzzling. After the loss in Game 1, Manager Park Jin-man had stated that Won Tae-in could have come out of the bullpen if they were leading. Before this game, he also said, "If we are leading, I will definitely send him out." He explained, "Sending Tae-in out is based on the premise that we must win today's game no matter what. If that situation arises, he will naturally go out. In that case, there will be a natural change in the starting rotation as well."

It meant that even if it meant giving up his start, one victory was something they could not afford to lose. In that scenario, Choi Won-tae had been scheduled to start Game 3.

Of course, this did not mean he would pitch unconditionally. He conveyed that even in a winning game, if the score difference was large, there was no need to use him. However, that criterion was not necessarily set specifically for save situations or defined concretely. It was a decision solely to protect the win, not for statistics, meaning he could be deployed if they felt uneasy even with a 5-run lead.

Therefore, adding two more runs in the sixth inning while leading, Hurdado handling through the second out of the sixth while minimizing runs allowed, and Choi Hyeong-woo hitting a go-ahead solo home run immediately after one run was allowed in the seventh inning all seemed to carry significant meaning.

However, the Samsung bench sent Won Tae-in out in the 9th inning with a 5-run lead. The power of 'closer Won Tae-in' was considerable. His top speed reached 149 km/h, and he threw 15 strikes out of 22 pitches. After a 10-pitch at-bat, Won Tae-in struck out Kim Sun-bin looking with a changeup that hit the outside edge of the bottom line. He induced a swing-and-strike strikeout from Han Jun-su with a low-trajectory changeup. He also threw a changeup to Ha Ju-seok, inducing a third baseman grounder to close out the game.

It was a decision as if they had designated Won Tae-in as the closer for the series regardless of the result. After the game, Manager Park Jin-man said, "We had been preparing from before to definitely close out Game 2 and approach Game 3." He added, "If it had been more than a 5-run lead, I wouldn't have used him, but since it was within 5 runs, I did. He hasn't played many games recently, so I sent him in. We will decide whether Won Tae-in starts after Game 3 is over. He can continue to pitch out of the bullpen as well."

However, the reason for using Won Tae-in with a 5-run lead was not 100% convincing. It also gave the impression that they had decided from the start to use him as the closer and entered the series with that plan.

Won Tae-in, who met with reporters before the game, stated, "The manager directly told me he would like me to be the closer, so I was waiting in the background (for Game 1). I heard the same request to prepare today as well, so I am scheduled to wait." This differed slightly in nuance from Manager Park Jin-man's statement that he could come out depending on the situation.

Meeting with reporters again immediately after the game, he explained, "The score difference was comfortable, but since you never know what will happen on the autumn stage, I thought the manager put me in and pitched with the mindset of repaying him. From the state of the pitcher's mound to the overall atmosphere, it was really very different from starting. I am satisfied that I shut them down cleanly."

He had already warmed up from the seventh inning. He had already completed preparations for his appearance. Even if he did not pitch, it was impossible to be free of fatigue.

Regarding his future role, he conveyed, "There is no plan yet, but the manager actually seems to keep thinking of me as the closer." He added, "I don't know what will happen depending on the result of Game 3, so I told them I would wait for Game 3 as well, and I think it may change depending on the outcome."

Won Tae-in's closing performance was certainly effective, but in Game 3, they must send out Choi Won-tae, who had a poor record of 1 win, 1 loss, and an ERA of 8.10 against KIA this season. An even bigger problem was the starting pitcher for Game 4. While Won Tae-in could potentially pitch, switching roles would inevitably be a significant burden.

If they had originally designated another trump card as the starter for Game 4, the story would be different. A strong candidate is Jang Chan-hee, the 'KIA killer.' Rookie Jang Chan-hee this season performed brilliantly, alternating between starting and relief roles. In particular, he was strong against KIA with an ERA of 1.80 in 8 games over 15 innings. On June 6 last year, he started and pitched well for 5⅓ innings, allowing two runs (one earned). Late in the season, on the 6th last month, he also started against KIA for the first time in a long while, pitching 2⅔ innings. He allowed three runs, but all were unearned.

If they had prepared Won Tae-in as the closer from the start and Jang Chan-hee was behind that background, all the pieces of the puzzle would fit together. The question of 'Why use Won Tae-in with a 5-run lead?' could change to the conclusion that 'there is no reason not to use Won Tae-in.'

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original