Incheon: After pitching himself into a two-out, bases-loaded jam while trying to protect a three-run lead in a postseason game against the SSG Landers, Samsung Lions reliever Lee Ho-sung got a visit from pitching coach Kang Young-sik. And Lee, 21, did what few other players would have done in that situation — a high-leverage spot in his very first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) playoff outing. Lee flashed a smile and told his coach, “I got this.”
According to Yonhap News Agency, in that eighth inning on Thursday, Lee was up against Ko Myeong-jun, who had hit a two-run home run to cut the Lions’ lead to 5-2 in the seventh inning. The Landers would take the lead with another blast from Ko. Lee, who pumped fastballs by hitters all game, retired Ko on a fielder’s choice grounder to third to get out of the jam. He hopped off the mound and pumped his fist on his way back to the dugout, having kept his word that he would clean up his own mess.
“I never once thought I was in danger of giving up a home run,” Lee said Saturday before Game 2 of this first-round series at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul. “All I wanted to do was to get the final out, and I wasn’t afraid of anything.”
Lee, now in his third KBO season, sheepishly admitted he was indeed battling nerves, and he was just trying to conceal that with his smile. “My heart was pounding, but at the same time, I felt lucky and privileged to be in a situation where I felt such nerves,” Lee said. “So I tried to enjoy the moment as much as I could.”
Lee finished his KBO postseason debut with three strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings. “I will try to build on that outing. It gave me some confidence afterward,” Lee said. “I am throwing harder now than earlier in the year. But velocity isn’t everything for pitchers. I have to try to stay sharp.”