He has played 79 games and 474 innings over the past three years. He is one of the best young ace players in the league in terms of physical strength and consistency. 스포츠토토
However, it felt different this time around. Then, I met the coach at the sauna. "I want to take another day off."
And he did a great job in repaying the fans. At a match against the Lotte Giants held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Sunday, Won Tae-in of the Samsung Lions pitched well, allowing four hits, four walks, and one run in six innings. His team won its first game of the season with a score of 8 to 1.
He is a famous "Lotte killer." He pitched in as many as 12 games against Lotte over the past three years, and pitched 76 ⅔, recording six wins and two losses with an ERA of 2.11.
The day remained the same. He gave up the first run in the bottom of the first inning, but managed to block the crisis with runners on the second and third bases with one out. He gave up sporadic hits, but managed to finish the game smoothly until the sixth inning without much hesitation. He was calm even when infield errors occurred and long balls were allowed. Then, he made sure to catch the next batter.
When asked why he is good when he meets Lotte, Won Tae-in, whom he met after the game, smiled, saying, "I think I have a good pitching balance whenever I come to Busan."
He especially regretted the hit he gave up to Jung Hoon with a ball count of 0-2 after one out in the first inning. "The hit I gave up in a favorable situation led to the score. I was a little disappointed in myself," he said.
"I focused as much as I could not throw a mistake. The run in the first inning became rather weak as a result. As the innings went on, I felt a balance," he said. "Because the team's momentum was good, I had faith that batters would hit if I held out a little bit."
On the day, Samsung reversed the game with Kim Ji-chan's three-run homerun in the top of the sixth inning when the team was losing 0-1, and Kim Heon-gon's two-run shot added momentum to win the game. It was Kim Ji-chan's fourth homerun as he entered the pro league in 2020. Kim had one homerun each in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
"I didn't know Kim would hit a home run, but I felt so good," Won said with a smile. Won bought Kim Ji-chan an eel ahead of his appearance, which is a considerable amount of money he paid for his meal. "I thought I could win today," he added of Kim's home run.
He also revealed other behind-the-scenes stories. Originally, Won took the mound at a match against the Kia Tigers in Gwangju on Tuesday. However, he postponed the game due to direct request from manager Park Jin-man.
"I met (Park Jin-man) at the sauna in the car when I felt unwell. I told the manager, 'I will do well against Lotte (if you let me go). He said, 'I gave you another day off, so make sure you win,' and I'm happy to keep my promise."