Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man will again hold native ace Won Tae-in in the bullpen for Game 2 of the Korean Baseball Organization playoffs on Tuesday, according to 뉴스핌. Park said he will send Won to the mound without hesitation if his team is in position to win, treating the game as an all-hands effort.
The Lions dropped Game 1 by a 5-1 score on Monday and would travel to Gwangju for Game 3 carrying a two-game deficit if they lose again. The series is a best-of-five playoff.
Ariel Jurado takes the ball as Samsung's Game 2 starter, but 뉴스핌 reports that pregame attention centered on how Won would be used rather than on the starter. Won had been scheduled to start Game 3, but the injury absence of closer Kim Jae-yun pushed Park to prepare him as a late-inning option.
Park kept that plan in place ahead of Game 2. "If we need him, I intend to use him unconditionally when we are winning," he said, according to 뉴스핌. He described a Won appearance as coming under the premise that Samsung must win the game.
Why it matters
Samsung is without its regular closer and needs a reliable arm to protect a lead in a tight postseason game. Moving the rotation's top domestic starter into relief is a significant departure from normal usage, and it carries consequences for the rest of the series.
The decision also reflects how narrow Samsung's margin has become. After Chris Pedeck lasted 4.2 innings and allowed five runs in Game 1, and the lineup managed just two hits, Park said the team cannot afford to let Game 2 slip away. According to 뉴스핌, he said the series becomes difficult if Samsung hands over Game 2 as well, and that the team will find a way to win.
Won's role is not limited to the ninth
Park's plan is not simply to save Won for the final inning. 뉴스핌 reports that he could bring Won in during the middle or late innings if the situation calls for locking down a win.
Won is Samsung's leading domestic starter and normally works in the rotation. In this series, he may be asked to record important outs out of the bullpen instead.
Park also set a limit on when he would use him. If Samsung leads by a wide margin, he said, the existing relievers are in condition to protect that kind of gap, and he does not see a need to call on Won in that case. The ace would be reserved for close games where the team is positioned to win.
Rotation contingency: Choi Won-tae for Game 3
Using Won in Game 2 would force a change to the planned Game 3 rotation, and Park said he already has an alternative in place. According to 뉴스핌, he named Choi Won-tae as the Game 3 starter if Won pitches Tuesday, adding that the starter through Game 3 is already decided.
Park also said Pedeck could appear sooner depending on how Game 2 unfolds, and that the rotation could shift based on game situations. If Won does not pitch, he could still start Game 3 as originally planned.
Samsung made other adjustments for Game 2 as well. Choi Hyung-woo was inserted into the starting lineup as the fifth hitter and left fielder, a choice that accepts extra defensive burden in exchange for more offense, according to 뉴스핌. Combined with Jurado on the mound and Won in reserve, Park has prepared two levers for the game.
The trade-off is clear: using Won in relief raises Samsung's chances of winning Game 2 but requires the rotation to be rebuilt afterward. Park has judged that securing the immediate game takes priority.
Whether Won actually appears out of the bullpen will depend on how Game 2 develops.
