Samsung’s Chae-Heung Choi had to swallow his disappointment after coming close to picking up his first win of the season. Choi Chae-heung, who returned to work in June after completing his mandatory military service at Commerce, pitched six innings of two-run ball against KIA in Daegu on April 19, but the bullpen collapsed and he had to wait for the next game.
Choi, who was winless in eight games before the game and had three losses (7.27 ERA), pitched well to fulfill the wishes of manager Park Jin-man, who said, “I wish I had prepared with a firm mind today. We are currently operating well with four starters, and I can’t ask for anything more if Choi Chae-heung can do the same.”
In the bottom of the first inning, Na Sung-beom singled and Choi Hyung-woo singled to left to put runners on first and second, but Socrates struck out the side. In the second inning, the leadoff hitter Kim Sun-bin singled to right, but Lee Chang-jin grounded into a double play and Kim Tae-gun flied out to right.
In the third inning, he gave up an infield single to Park Chan-ho but got Choi Won-joon to pop out to first base. In the fourth, with runners on first and third, Choi scored on Kim Sun-bin’s sacrifice fly to center field. Lee Chang-jin grounded out to second base to end the inning. After completing the first three-hit shutout in the fifth inning, Choi shut down the center field lineup of Choi Won-jun, Na Sung-beom, and Choi Hyung-woo in the sixth.안전놀이터
After allowing a leadoff double to Socrates in the seventh inning with a 5-1 lead, Choi turned the mound over to right-hander Lee Seung-hyun. The fans applauded Choi as he walked off the mound after completing his starting duties.
However, their dreams of a first win were dashed by the poor performance of the bullpen. The new pitcher, Lee Seung-hyun, induced Kim Sun-bin to ground out to second base, while Socrates reached third base. Lee Chang-jin’s infield grounder was misplayed by Kim Dong-jin, allowing Socrates to score from third. Choi Chae-heung’s earned run increased to two.
Left-hander Lee Jae-ik took the mound in place of Lee Seung-hyun. He gave up a two-run arch to pinch-hitter Lee Woo-sung. Kim Do-young followed with a triple and Park Chan-ho tied the game at 5-5. Choi Chae-heung’s first win of the season was over.