"A gentleman's mindset, please" — MVP Huarado: "Errors? I'll actually induce grounders that way, so just field them well... Now it's time to go for the championship we want most" [PO5 On-Site]

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Ariel Huarado (Samsung Lions), who was selected as the MVP of the Playoffs (best-of-five series), shared his heartfelt thoughts on the honor.

Samsung defeated the KIA Tigers 6-1 in Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs, held on the 1st at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

With this victory, Samsung took a 3-2 lead in the series and successfully advanced to the long-awaited Korea Series. This marks Samsung's first appearance in the Korea Series since the 2024 season, just two seasons ago. Samsung will face KT in Game 1 of the Korea Series at Suwon KT Wiz Park at 6:30 p.m. on the 3rd.

On this day, Huarado secured the win with a strong performance, pitching seven innings while allowing five hits and two walks, striking out three batters, and giving up one unearned run. Huarado had also started in Game 2 of the Playoffs on the 27th of last month, delivering a dominant outing over six and two-thirds innings with five hits allowed, two walks, three strikeouts, and two earned runs to claim another victory.

Ultimately, after posting a record of two wins and no losses across two games in the Junior Playoffs, with an ERA of 1.32, two earned runs, and six strikeouts over thirteen and two-thirds innings, Huarado was named the series MVP. Huarado received a prize of 3 million won and a trophy. He garnered 47 votes (59.5% voting rate) out of 79 total ballots from the press corps. Following him were Choi Hyeong-woo with 20 votes, Ryu Ji-hyuk with 5 votes, Kim Ji-chan with 3 votes, Kim Do-young with 2 votes, Park Seung-gyu with 1 vote, and Lee Seung-min with 1 vote.

In a post-game interview with reporters, Huarado began by saying, "I am happy. I did not expect this, but I simply did my job. I just worked hard because I wanted to help the team, so it is fortunate."

Regarding his slump in the middle of the season, he added, "Things like that can happen when you play baseball. Every game is different. When you make mistakes or errors, you just need to train to correct them. It seems that I have reached this point by correcting my mistakes through training."

Speaking about his at-bat against Han Jun-su in the 6th inning, Huarado said, "I am a pitcher who induces weak contact, so I looked at the details. I felt my changeup would work, so I threw it that way."

On the subject of fielding errors by his teammates, he stated, "I do not really worry about errors made by the infielders. In fact, I approach them and say, 'It is okay. I will induce grounders in that direction, so please field them well.' Errors can easily happen," demonstrating a gentlemanly spirit.

After coming off the mound at the end of the 7th inning, Huarado expressed his emotions alongside Kang Min-ho. He explained, "It was less about having a conversation and more about expressing our feelings. I had pitched well through seven innings, and we had good chemistry as a battery. Since we were winning, I think our positive emotions just exploded."

Huarado continued, "When I stepped onto the pitcher's mound, I focused on fulfilling my role. Since I am not a strikeout-type pitcher, I decided to throw pitches at the edges of the strike zone and aim to induce many double plays."

Now, Huarado is set to play in his first Korea Series. He stated, "I am happy to have advanced to the Korea Series. When I play on that stage, I will feel emotions I have never experienced before. I expect a huge rush of adrenaline, and I will use it well so we can win. I will pitch hard so our team can win the championship. We will strive for the championship we want most," reaffirming his determination.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original