It’s the ace’s job to extend winning streaks and break losing streaks. The ‘blue-blooded ace’ Won Tae-in saved Samsung from a three-game losing streak.
Won Tae-in pitched six scoreless innings (three hits, two walks, and six strikeouts) against KT in Daegu on April 28. It was his third win of the season. He topped out at 150km/h and effectively utilized his arsenal of pitches, including a slider, cut fastball, and changeup.
Samsung beat KT 6-4, ending a three-game losing streak that began on April 25 against Doosan in Jamsil. Manager Park Jin-man said, “Won Tae-in was well prepared and pitched well. It was impressive to see him throw his pitches with confidence,” Park applauded.
Speaking to the media after the game, Won said, “In my last start (May 23 against Doosan in Jamsil, giving up six runs on 13 hits in 4⅔ innings with four walks and four strikeouts), I was worried and under pressure, but I wanted to overcome it today. I’m glad I got a good result,” he smiled.
Won continued, “In my last outing, my location was fine, but my pitching form was a little different than when I was in good shape. My slider was getting hit a lot, so I consulted with the power analysis team and my pitching coach to fix it. It was a good result,” he added.
On taking the mound in the rain, he said, “You can’t control the weather, but I think after the fourth inning, we lost the flow and it was a crunch time in the fifth inning. (Oh) Jae-il made a good defense, which helped me a lot.”
After striking out Moon Sang-chul with the bases loaded in the fifth inning and performing an uppercut gesture, Won said, “I just wanted to stop them so badly. The team scored a lot of runs early on and I wanted to protect the lead. If I gave up a run, it could have changed the atmosphere, so I think the gesture came naturally after the block.”메이저사이트
What was it like to face off against Kim Sang-soo (KT), whom he had grown up with like a brother, as an adversary? “I played against him once in an away game against Suwon, and I got hit by him for the first time in decades. I’m glad it wasn’t a home run. It was very emotional to play against Sang-soo,” he confessed.