
Started against KIA, threw 38 pitches, and was replaced after 2 innings... Samsung Mound operation ‘emergency’
Professional baseball Samsung Lions starting pitcher Choi Won-tae was kicked early after throwing 38 pitches in 1⅔ innings and allowing 2 runs in the 3rd game of the 2026 KBO League postseason playoffs against the KIA Tigers.
AI-generated summary
Choi Won-tae performed well in the postseason after transferring to Samsung last year, but performed poorly in his first appearance in the playoffs this year.
(Jeonnam Gwangju = Yonhap News) Reporter Dae-ho Lee = Choi Won-tae, the Samsung Lions right-arm starting professional baseball player, failed to show his ‘autumn Won-tae’ appearance this year.
Choi Won-tae started on the mound in the visiting game against the KIA Tigers in Game 3 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League postseason playoffs (PO, 3 wins out of 5) held at Champions Field in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do on the 29th, and went down the mound after 1⅔ innings.
He threw only 38 pitches, and gave up 2 runs while allowing 3 hits in the 2nd inning.
Choi Won-tae, who had been weak in fall baseball, was reborn as a fall hero by earning a starting win in the first game of the semi-playoff against the SSG Landers (6 innings, no runs) and the second playoff game against the Hanwha Eagles (7 innings, 1 run) in the first game of the semi-playoff last year, in the first year of his transfer to Samsung.
However, his first appearance in the postseason this year was a failing grade.
In the top of the first inning, Samsung took the lead with Lewin Diaz's two-run home run, and in the bottom of the first inning, Jae-Hyun Park was grounded out and Ho-Ryeong Kim and Do-Young Kim struck out in succession.
The bottom of the second inning was the problem.
Choi Won-tae, who walked leadoff hitter Harold Castro, was pushed to first and second base by a left-field hit by Kim Sun-bin with one out.
Kim Gyu-seong made it up to an infield fly ball and had two outs, but he was hit by consecutive timely hits from No. 8 hitter Kim Tae-gun and No. 9 hitter Ha Joo-seok, allowing the score to be tied 2-2.
When Jae-Hyun Park stood at bat, the Samsung bench took action by removing Won-Tae Choi and bringing in Chan-Seung Bae from the left-arm bullpen.
As Bae Chan-seung handled Park Jae-hyun, Choi Won-tae's loss stopped at 2 points.
Samsung moved third starter Won Tae-in to the bullpen as Kim Jae-yoon left due to injury ahead of PO.
This was a choice that was possible because there was an expectation that Choi Won-tae would hold on to some degree in the starting position.
However, as Choi Won-tae left the mound after less than two innings, Samsung's future mound management became difficult.

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