Gwangju:Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho expressed gratitude towards his closer Jeon Sang-hyun for his relentless effort during the ongoing South Korean baseball postseason. Lee also apologized for the heavy workload placed on Jeon, who secured his second consecutive save in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason against the LG Twins, leading the Tigers to a 6-3 victory.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Jeon recorded the final four outs at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field for the second day in a row, following a 5-1 win on Saturday. Lee has utilized Jeon extensively since late in the regular season, with Jeon having pitched two innings on three occasions in October, earning two wins and a save. This series has seen him pitch 2 2/3 innings, more than any other reliever on the team.
Lee commented, "He has been throwing a lot and as his manager, I feel sorry. But because he has been pitching so well, our fans and our players are able to leave the ballpark smiling. I hope he can keep doing this for us." In response, Jeon noted that while Lee jokes about his usage, he appreciates the trust placed in him and feels a strong sense of responsibility.
As the best-of-five series shifts to Seoul, the teams will have Monday off before resuming play on Tuesday. Jeon stated, "I feel good enough to be able to pitch in every game in this series if necessary," emphasizing the importance of the team's offensive support.
The Tigers scored five of their six runs in the first inning on Sunday, overwhelming Twins starter Im Chan-kyu, who retired just one batter and gave up six hits, including five consecutive, before being replaced. "Our batters had a really good focus and approach right from the get-go," Lee explained.
Despite outhitting the Tigers 9-8, the Twins struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities, notably in the eighth inning when Lee Jae-won struck out with two runners on base. Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb stated, "Our relievers did their job but our lineup just could not score runs when we had to." He acknowledged Lee Jae-won's swing issues, which will be addressed post-season.