The Samsung Lions selected right-hander Hwang Dong-jae (23) as the starting pitcher for Game 3 of the playoffs.
Samsung manager Park Jin-man said he chose Hwang Dong-jae as the starting pitcher for Game 3 with the second playoff game of the “2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League” scheduled to be held at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on the 14th canceled by rain. Left-hander ace Lee Seung-hyun was also one of the starting candidates for Game 3, but he set a policy to use him as a bullpen pitcher. This is because there is a lack of left-handed bullpen to face LG’s left-handed batters after the starting pitcher goes down. Considering his experience and performance this season, Lee Seung-hyun is more dominant, but he had no choice but to choose Hwang Dong-jae.
Manager Park Jin-man said, “I thought about Lee Seung-hyun and Hwang Dong-jae as starting pitchers for Game 3. Finally, Hwang Dong-jae was chosen. Lee should play an important role as an intermediate pitcher. It was concluded that Lee Seung-hyun is needed to face the left-handed lineup after the starting pitcher went down. The decision was made this morning. “I thought I could perform well in the bullpen,” he said, expressing his intention to use Hwang as starting pitcher for Game 3.
Samsung, which lacks left-handed pitchers who can trust and entrust one inning to the bullpen, has made a plan to use Lee as an intermediate pitcher rather than a starter. He expected experienced left-hander Baek Jung-hyun to play in the bullpen, but suffered a fine fracture in his finger during the match against Cheongbaek that took place just before the playoffs. With Baek out, four of Samsung’s pitchers are left-handed: Lee Seung-hyun, Lee Sang-min, and Choi Chae-heung. Lee Seung-hyun is the strongest card. 스포츠토토
Lee, a native of Daegu Sangwon, joined Samsung through the first round of nominations in 2021. Lee, who has always played in the bullpen, turned himself into a starting pitcher ahead of this season. In his first season as a starter, Lee finished 17 games, 87 ⅓ innings with a 6-4 record with a 4.23 ERA. Although he failed to complete the season due to a hamstring injury, Lee succeeded in transforming himself into a starting pitcher.
However, Samsung’s choice was not starting pitcher Lee Seung-hyun, but bullpen pitcher Lee Seung-hyun. Hwang Dong-jae, who will start Game 3 of the playoffs instead, graduated from Kyungpook High School and joined the Lions as the first designated player in 2020. He displayed remarkably good performance in the latter half of this season. He played 42 innings in 15 games (six starts) and posted one win, two losses and an ERA of 4.07.
Hwang has pitched in one game against LG this season. He pitched a scoreless game against LG on July 30 with one strikeout without giving up a single hit and a walk during one inning.
The Samsung Lions will put forward Won Tae-in as the starting pitcher for Game 2 of the playoffs on Saturday. Hwang Dong-jae will take the mound in Game 3 and Denny Reyes will take the mound in Game 4. Reyes started Game 1 on Sunday and pitched 101 pitches during six ⅔ innings, and led the team to a 10-4 victory by allowing four hits, one homer, two strikeouts and three runs (one earned run). “Reyes threw 101 pitches. I decided to play as the starting pitcher in Game 4 because I needed some rest,” manager Park Jin-man said.
