Pitcher changes are this difficult! Two managers who blamed themselves whether they won or lost: "Should have pulled Choi Won-tae earlier" → "Should have sent Oh Won-seok first instead of Logan"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Samsung Lions and the KT Wiz engaged in a fierce battle whose outcome was unpredictable until the very last moment. The gap, which had widened to 8-0 early on, narrowed to just one run at 8-7 in the closing stages, ending in a breathless close contest. Although a winner was decided, both team managers voiced deep regret and self-blame over the timing of their pitcher changes at crucial moments of the game.

Samsung suffered a narrow 7-8 defeat to KT in Game 1 of the Korea Series held on the 3rd at Suwon KT Wiz Park. Trailing by a large margin of 0-8 through the sixth inning, they appeared to have ceded control of the game, but scored five runs in the seventh and two in the eighth, pushing KT's winning combination to the brink until the end. Conversely, while KT could have secured a decisive victory, they managed only a narrow 8-7 win.

Neither KT manager Lee Kang-cheol, who held on to a thrilling one-run victory, nor Samsung manager Park Jin-man, who mounted a fierce comeback from an eight-run deficit but ultimately failed to overturn the result, could smile brightly in the post-game press conference room. Both managers bowed their heads as they reflected on their decisions regarding pitcher management.

First, losing manager Park Jin-man painfully reflected on the timing of pulling starting pitcher Choi Won-tae, which had led to a large number of runs allowed early in the game. Choi Won-tae, who started the game, pitched two innings, allowing five hits (one home run), striking out three and giving up five runs, taking the loss. After the game, Manager Park confessed, "I think I missed the change timing a bit early on today. That was regrettable."

Regarding the specific point of removal, he blamed himself, saying, "I should have changed pitchers during An Hyun-min's at-bat when we were leading 3-0. It was early in the game, and giving up a two-run home run there meant we were pushed back significantly in momentum. I should have made the change one step earlier; it was a game that left me with regrets."

However, he applauded the sharp late-game resilience of his lineup. Manager Park stated, "Coming back from an 0-8 deficit to pull out KT's winning combination and close the gap to 7-8 is a clear gain," adding, "We created an atmosphere where we could overturn the game at any time once it became a mid-to-late-game battle. Our lineup definitely gained confidence that they can hit against the opponent's winning combination," vowing a counterattack in Game 2.

KT manager Lee Kang-cheol, who also let out a sigh of relief after securing victory, was the first to admit his own mistake in bullpen usage. Manager Lee began by sighing, "It was a heart-wrenching game. It wasn't that we were careless, but I felt once again that even a little carelessness is not allowed."

Regarding the bullpen usage in the seventh inning, Manager Lee blamed himself, saying, "Today's change mistake is my fault. We nearly lost everything," and continued, "Originally, I was thinking of using Oh Won-seok before Logan. But as the score difference became eight runs, I think I momentarily thought too casually. I should have cut it off decisively there, but with the thought of 'maybe I can use Logan more comfortably,' I brought him in and things went wrong. I should have sent Oh Won-seok first instead of Logan."

Manager Lee continued, "I should not have created a four-out save situation for Park Young-hyun at the end; I should have ended it with a one-inning save, but we were pushed into a crisis. Still, Park Young-hyun calmly and well shut them down. The momentum was about to shift completely, but our players held on well until the end, allowing us to win," letting out a sigh of relief.

It was striking to see the losing manager, who failed to make the starting pitcher change one beat earlier, and the winning manager, who casually pulled out bullpen cards due to a large score difference and nearly faced an upset loss. At the end of the fierce Game 1 bloodbath that ended 8-7 after being 8-0, both managers blamed their own pitcher change decisions, foreshadowing an even more intense strategic battle in Game 2.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original