When Won Tae-in (24), the ace of blue blood of the Samsung Lions, gave up points and bowed his head, "Veteran catcher" Kang Min-ho (39) took the mound without fail. At a desperate moment of defeat, Kang Min-ho joked, "What do you want to eat after this? Let's eat something delicious with me, because I think I'm going to smash it today," and Won Tae-in's face was full of smiles. Won Tae-in, who struggled to adapt to the automatic pitching decision system (ABS) early this season, won the multiple wins award (15 wins) because of the support he encouraged, "How can you always throw well? Have fun while smiling."
Then, Won Tae-in declared independence. "Minho rules me as if he takes care of his three children (laughs). He knows what's wrong with him on the mound and soothes me if he loses a game or two," he said in an interview with the Seoul Shimbun conducted at Kyungpook High School in Daegu on Sunday. "Minho will retire in two to three years. I'm worried about whether I can overcome it alone."먹튀검증
The specific plan is to keep the veteran player's ball mix in mind. During the last regular season, Won shook his head at the catcher's signature only two or three times while throwing 2,693 pitches. "Sometimes I lead by throwing a curve ball, but the results are terrible. On the contrary, when Minho chooses a different pitch than expected, hitters just can't move," he said.
The motivation comes from Oh Seung-hwan (42), a legendary player who has 549 saves in his career in Korea, the U.S. and Japan. Wontae-in, who focuses on ball control, dreamed of joining the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team by referring to pitching styles such as Kenta Maeda of the Detroit Tigers and Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres. "Even if he recorded no runs in seven innings, Oh Seung-hwan encouraged me by saying, 'I have to throw everything until the ninth inning, don't be complacent, don't you want to go to big stages?'" Wontae-in said. "After hearing that, he intensifies muscle training and running."
It was his first time to confirm the possibility of a rosy future in the Korean Series. After five scoreless innings in the first game against the KIA Tigers on Oct. 21, Won hurt his shoulder in the fourth game and left the mound during the third inning. It was the moment when Samsung's fighting spirit was defeated. Looking bitter, he said, "I was disappointed that it didn't turn out the way I wanted. I looked back and felt disappointed. Although his opponent was No. 1 in the regular season, he was full of confidence. What surprised him, however, was Kim Sun-bin (35), MVP of the Korean Series, rather than the "best batter" Kim Do-young (21). "KIA is a strong team, but I thought he could overcome it if he is in good condition. However, he was more threatening than Manny Machado (San Diego Padres) who faced off in the MLB Seoul Series in March," Won said. "I felt like I would hit any ball."
After recovering from his shoulder injury, Won also served as a company commander who led 121 company members during basic military training last month. "I wanted to go quietly without anyone knowing, but my instructor gave me the opportunity to take the initiative. I was chosen as the best trainee (laughs)."
New faces will join the starting lineup next year, including Ariel Furado (28) and Choi Won-tae (27), but the weight that ace pitchers carry remains the same. "After winning 10 games this year, I tried to have fun playing baseball, but after losing one or two points, I became more nervous again. As a professional, I have no choice but to feel pressure and responsibility," Won said.
Competition among Korean right-handed pitchers such as Kwak Bin (25) and Moon Dong-joo (21) of the Hanwha Eagles is another driving force behind their performance improvement. "We are growing together, but we both feel the same way that we don't want to lose. Both players have strong ball power, but they also have strong strengths. I will put the sense of stability ahead by targeting low-level courses with accurate ball control," Won said.
His long-term goal is to raise the record of poor performances at international competitions. "I couldn't see the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 match in person last month, and I just heard the news from the training center that I was eliminated (from the preliminary round), which was very sad," he said. "We have to live up to expectations for a generational change. At the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he vowed to repay fans with performances worthy of the era of 10 million spectators."