The Lions will play in the playoff for the first time in 15 days since the final match. Despite concerns over a gap in actual matches, the Samsung Lions is gradually preparing for the fall season.
The Samsung Lions won 5-0 in a practice game against Sangmu (national sports unit) at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 7th.
Samsung, which tied for first place in the pennant race in 2021 but fell to second place through tiebreakers, has a painful memory of being upset by two consecutive losses in the PO. The PO, which has launched again in three years, is preparing for the fall baseball with the determination not to repeat its frustration at the time.
Samsung, which already finished its regular season on April 28, is taking a long break. Players have had enough rest to completely relieve their fatigue.
However, players who needed to be supplemented or lacked experience somewhat coordinated their senses in the Futures League. Oh Seung-hwan, who suffered a severe slump at the end of the season, built up his confidence by pitching consecutive scoreless pitches against the Lotte Giants on the 2nd and KT Wiz on the 4th.
Since the KT Wiz match on April 4 and 5, not a few players have taken the stage. Among the hitters, key players such as Lee Jae-hyun, Kim Young-woong, Kang Min-ho and Lee Sung-kyu participated in the game and showed off their potential as last-minute starters of the season.
In fact, the lineup was more of an elite team to prepare for PO. The team consisted of Kim Ji-chan (center fielder), Kim Heon-gon (right wing), Koo Ja-wook (left wing), Park Byung-ho (designated hitter), Lewin Diaz (first baseman), Kang Min-ho (captor), Kim Young-woong (third baseman), Lee Jae-hyun (striker) and Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman).
In the bottom of the first inning, leadoff hitter Kim Ji-chan got on base with an infield hit to shortstop, and Koo Ja-wook’s double to left-center came out, leading 2-0 with Diaz’s two-run timely hit with runners on the second and third bases with two outs.
In the fourth inning, Kim fired a cannon. With his team leading 2-0, he hit a 110-meter solo home run off starter Cho Min-seok that flew over the right fence.
In the sixth inning, Kang Min-ho had a hit to the left, Jeon Byung-woo had a hit to the left as a pinch hitter with two outs, and Kim Ji-chan had a timely hit to add an RBI. In the seventh inning, with one out, Park Byung-ho had a walk, an opponent wild pitch, and Diaz had an RBI double to the left field.
The pitchers’ perfect pitching also stood out. Starting as the starter, Danny Reyes had two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts during three innings, followed by Won Tae-in, who pitched three innings of one hit, one walk, and four strikeouts, respectively. Kim Tae-hoon, Lee Sang-min, and Kim Jae-yoon kept the win by allowing no runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
In the batting lineup, Kim Young-woong, who shot a home run, led the team’s batting lineup with two hits, one RBI and one run from three times at bat, and Diaz led the team’s batting lineup with two hits, one RBI and one run from four times at bat. Kim Ji-chan also played a role as a troubleshooter, and Koo Ja-wook also showed off his outstanding batting performance with two hits and one walk from two times at bat.
Connor Seabold, who played the first starting role this season, disappeared after the match against Hanwha on April 11. He has yet to fully recover from the pain in his right scapula. There are five days left until the first round of the PO, but his possibility to play is still unknown. Negative outlook also weighs on him. 먹튀검증
In autumn baseball, at least three stable starting pitchers are required to promise the future. In addition to Won Tae-in and Reyes, at least one more is needed. Left-hander Lee Seung-hyun returned from injury on the 3rd and pitched three innings against Lotte in the Futures League. He gave up five hits and allowed two runs, but there were no walks, and he also struck out three, increasing the possibility of a surprise comeback in the fall stage. In some cases, one more player may have to take the mound. The possibility of Baek Jeong-hyun or Hwang Dong-jae taking the mound is heavy. However, Baek Jung-hyun played as a bullpen at the end of the season, and Hwang Dong-jae played in a Futures League game against KT on the 4th, and Hwang Dong-jae was replaced by one run in ⅔ innings.
The best-case scenario for Samsung is to finish with only three starting pitchers in the PO and then continue the rotation from the first starter again in the Korean Series after four days off. In the meantime, it is the best situation for Connor to join the starting lineup. Therefore, Won Tae-in and Reyes, who are certain to start in the first and second games, were welcome.
