Choi Won-tae Could Not Withstand KT's Power, Collapses in 2 Innings with 5 Runs Allowed! Samsung Faces Dark Clouds Early in KS Game 1 [KS1 On-Site]

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Samsung Lions starting pitcher Choi Won-tae bowed his head again after a painful slump on the autumn stage.

Choi Won-tae took the mound as the starter in the away Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (best-of-seven) against the KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 3rd.

He had been shaken and removed early with two runs allowed in 1⅔ innings in the Playoffs Game 3 against the KIA Tigers on October 29, and took the mound aiming to restore his honor, but this time the situation was even worse than before.

The start was shaky. Choi Won-tae allowed a leadoff single to center field by Choi Won-jun, then struck out Kim Min-hyuk, but a stolen base to second, a wild pitch, and An Hyun-min's walk combined to create a one-out, runners-on-first-and-third crisis. He then gave up a two-run RBI double that hit the fence in left-center field to foreign hitter Sam Hilliard, surrendering the first run. He retired the following Kim Hyeon-soo on a fly out to right field, but allowed a one-run RBI infield single to second base by Kim Sang-su, increasing the runs allowed to three. He barely finished the inning by getting Heo Kyung-min to foul out to the catcher.

The bottom of the second was nearly perfect. After striking out Han Seung-taek and Jang Jun-won in succession, he recorded a triple play with a groundout at the pitcher's mound on Choi Won-jun's bunt attempt, appearing to find stability.

However, the relief was short-lived. In the bottom of the third, he allowed a leadoff double to center field by Kim Min-hyuk, then gave up a two-run home run to left field with a carry distance of 105 meters to An Hyun-min, widening the score to 0-5. Unable to hold on any longer, the Samsung bench ultimately made a pitching change to right-handed pitcher Yang Chang-seop. Choi Won-tae's final line for the day was two innings pitched, five hits allowed (one home run), one walk, three strikeouts, and five runs allowed. He threw a total of 43 pitches.

For the Samsung bench, including Manager Park Jin-man, the best scenario was for Choi Won-tae to go as long as possible in his innings. However, Choi Won-tae could not withstand KT's bats.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original