There was no "Cody Fontaine"! Park Jin-man's decision imminent: "Next starting appearance will not be easy → Likely to go with either Yang Chang-seop or Jang Chan-hee"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The might of "Cody Fontaine," who had sparked a reversal on the autumn stage last season and solidly supported the mound, could not be found. Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man hinted at a major decision to restructure the pitching staff after narrowly losing Game 1 of the Korea Series. It appears that Choi Won-tae (29) will not make any additional starting appearances in the postseason.

Samsung fell 7-8, by a one-run margin, in an away matchup against the KT Wiz in Game 1 of the 2026 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason Korea Series held on the 3rd at Suwon KT Wiz Park, failing to overcome a large early deficit.

The lineup displayed terrifying late-game resilience, closing in on the KT's key bullpen, but ultimately failed to overcome the gap created early in the game. With the loss in Game 1, Samsung will prepare for Game 2 having ceded to KT the winning probability (approximately 73.8%) of teams that win Game 1 of the Korea Series throughout history.

Most notably, Choi Won-tae, who started on this day and struggled with a line of two innings, five hits allowed (one home run), three strikeouts, and five runs allowed, was disappointing. Last season in the Junior Playoffs, Choi had pitched six scoreless innings against the SSG Landers, earning praise as "Cody Fontaine," comparable to Cody Ponce, who was the best starting pitcher of the 2025 season. He had perfectly recovered from his regular-season slump in the postseason. However, this autumn is quite different. Following an early removal in Game 3 of the previous Playoffs (1⅔ innings, two runs allowed), he was again removed early in Game 1 of the Korea Series, failing to deliver the expected performance.

Manager Park Jin-man's face at the official post-game press conference was deeply etched with regret. Manager Park stated, "I think we missed the timing for a pitching change a bit early," adding, "The two-run home run hit by An Hyun-min in a 3-0 situation became a major factor in falling behind in the early momentum battle. We should have made the substitution one step earlier; it was a game that leaves me with regrets as a manager."

The biggest concern is how to manage the starting mound going forward. Given the nature of short series, repeated early removals of starting pitchers will inevitably lead to bullpen overwork. When asked by reporters about whether Choi Won-tae would make additional starting appearances in the future, Manager Park candidly revealed, "We will need to think it over and discuss it internally, but I don't think his next appearance will be easy."

This effectively hinted at excluding him from the starting rotation. Regarding a replacement resource to fill the vacancy, he stated, "I think either Yang Chang-seop or Jang Chan-hee should step into that role."

He also conveyed specific plans. Manager Park explained, "Yang Chang-seop has been strong against KT this season, and Jang Chan-hee's condition shown today also looked good. We plan to discuss with the coaching staff how to proceed with the next rotation once we are back in the clubhouse." In reality, Yang Chang-seop had a decent record against KT this season, going 1-0 with no losses and an ERA of 3.00 in three games. His batting average against was also good at 0.212. He pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings on this day as well.

In particular, the pitching of rookie Jang Chan-hee, who made his postseason debut on this day, was cited as a major gain from Game 1. Jang entered in a high-pressure situation and prevented further runs with bold pitching, leaving a strong impression. Although he allowed two hits and two runs over two innings, he pitched confidently.

Manager Park praised him without holding back, stating, "It was his first Korea Series and first postseason game, yet he pitched boldly and aggressively even in the most high-pressure situation." He added, "He handled the two outs well, though he did give up a home run, but he must have felt it would not be that easy to get him out. Among the pitchers who did not appear in the Playoffs, he looked the best."

Although Samsung failed to seize the initiative in Game 1, they did not completely cede the series atmosphere by fiercely pressuring the opposing bullpen in the late stages of the game. Attention is now on whether Manager Park Jin-man's decision to draw the sword of "restructuring the starting staff" will change the landscape of the remaining series.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original