Veteran starter embracing unfamiliar relief role in KBO postseason

By Yoo Jee-ho

DAEGU, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- It has been five years since Samsung Lions pitcher Won Tae-in last made a relief appearance. The 26-year-old right-hander has otherwise been a starting pitcher, and among the best in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), too.

For the ongoing postseason series against the Kia Tigers, though, with their All-Star closer Kim Jae-yoon sidelined with an injury, the Lions have asked Won to be ready to pitch in save situations, or at least in high-leverage spots in late innings.

Lions skipper Park Jin-man has even called Won his "secret weapon," as the Lions try to take the series and reach the Korean Series. Won himself said Tuesday he was surprised when the coaching staff broached the idea over the weekend.

"I had no idea they had such plans. But in the postseason, I know I can't just do what I have been doing all along," Won said at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. "As long as I can help the team advance to the Korean Series, I will do whatever the team asks me to do.

Won even warmed up in the ninth inning of Game 1 of this series, with the Lions ultimately losing 5-1.

"I have not closed games since I was a rookie (in 2019), and so I feel a bit of pressure," Won said. "But once I have been given a role, then I need to do my best job at it."

Won had an injury-plagued regular season and went 7-9 with a 4.52 ERA, his worst mark since 2020.

"I really want to make up for the kind of regular season I had," he said. "I think pitching in a save situation can be just what I need as a spark."

But the best-case scenario for the Lions is to enjoy a big win Tuesday so that they will not have to use Won in a closing spot and save him for a Game 3 start Thursday.

"Honestly, my routines as a starting pitcher have been thrown out of whack," Won said. "But in a postseason series, my routines cannot be a priority. I will have to pitch whenever my name is called."