April 6, 2024, was the day Samsung's history changed...What happened in Gwangju

Sep 24, 2024

◇ Director Park Jin-man, who was happy when he escaped eight consecutive losses. Sports Chosun DB

April 6, 2024. What happened to Samsung.

The Samsung Lions confirmed second place in the regular season. How happy he was that he didn't win, and the team that confirmed his advance to the playoffs even wore a commemorative T-shirt and celebrated in front of home fans.

For Samsung, it can be a happy result as much as a victory. He received harsh reviews as a low-ranking candidate this season. He spent 8.8 billion won only on veteran bullpen Oh Seung-hwan, Kim Jae-yoon and Lim Chang-min, and there was also a question of whether it could be effective. In the meantime, he competed for the championship until the end of the regular season and took the second place to try to win the Korean Series, so it is impressive.

◇Kim Heon-gon, who hit the final as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning. Sports Chosun DB

Like KIA Tigers, LG Twins, and KT Wiz, who are the favorites to win, they opened at a time when they were unsure of something. However, he beat KT consecutively in the opening two consecutive away games in Suwon. In a timely manner, he revived the team's cheering song 'El Dorado', rallying a large number of Samsung fans who left.

But the joy is also brief. It was the eighth consecutive defeat of the shock. It fell to the bottom. Fans who shouted 'Let's win' in the opening two consecutive games fell into despair. He also had to be sarcastically told that "as expected, nothing has changed in Samsung baseball."

The match against the Kia Tigers in Gwangju on April 6, when they were on the verge of losing nine consecutive games. Coach Park Jin-man gave shock therapy. He should escape from losing consecutive games quickly, but he excluded Oh Jae-il and Kang Min-ho, the main players of the team, from the starting lineup. Kim Jae-sung was placed as No. 4 and Kim Young-woong, who was placed only in the lower batting order, was put up to No. 5 and a large number of young players, including Kim Jae-hyuk, Ahn Joo-hyung, Lee Byung-hun and Kim Ho-jin, were put in as starters.

The KBO League KT Wiz and Samsung Lions match held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 19th. Samsung's Kim Young-woong is cheering after hitting a hit with one out in the top of the third inning. Suwon = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.09.19/

It was not an easy decision as a coach. But I had to do something to change the atmosphere. Coach Park cited Kim Ho-jin, a sixth-round rookie with a high school diploma who first gave him a chance to start a day before the match against KIA at the time, saying, `He was aggressive and aggressive, not like a young player. Through such a scene, the team's atmosphere can change."

Director Park's gamble made 'Great Success' He beat KIA 7 to 4 in this game. In the ninth inning, pinch hitter Kim Heon-gon won the game with a dramatic final hit. With this victory, Samsung began to push up. There were painful times in the middle of the season, such as large-scale changes in coaching staff, but they continued to compete at the top.

In the game between Doosan and Samsung at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on the 4th, Samsung Lee Sung-kyu hits a solo home run and rotates the base in the bottom of the 8th inning. Daegu = Reporter Heo Sang-wook wook@sportschosun.com /2024.09.04/

Since then, coach Park has started to settle the starting lineup, which had been torn apart during the losing streak. Kim Young-woong, who was put in shortstop instead of Lee Jae-hyun, who was out due to a shoulder injury, made him a built-in third baseman. Lee Sung-kyu, who had always prepared sincerely and silently, was transformed into a 21-home run batter by making him the main outfielder. Kim Heon-gon, who only appeared as a pinch hitter, also revived splendidly as a key player after the final hit on the day. It was also good to grow Lee Byung-hun's presence and save Kang Min-ho's physical strength. Park Byung-ho, who was acquired in a trade on behalf of Oh Jae-il, also contributed to confirming his position in second place. He also discovered a potential substitute resource called Yoon Jeong-bin. That's how the team became stronger and solid.

If anyone else sees it, are you determined to lose nine games in a row?Coach Park's decision was unconventional enough to say . This saved Samsung this year. This is how the job of a coach has to play the game. And depending on the result, they receive great compensation and take responsibility.

awesome@sportschosun.com