Unfortunately, Samsung lost to KIA in the last year's Korean Series championship, and this year, it sharpened its sword. Veteran players, who are still the main pillars of the team's strength, plan to see a "win" within a year or two before losing their focus. They also lavishly spent money in the free agent market. Samsung has beefed up its starting lineup by signing a four-year contract with Choi Won-tae (28), a big starting player in the free agent market.토토사이트

In fact, the deal raised a number of controversies. Choi must be a young and accomplished starting pitcher. He has played in 217 games in the KBO league and won 78 games. However, he had an earned run average of four points over the past two years. He had an earned run average of 4.30 in 26 games in 2023, and 4.26 in 24 games in 2024. Last year (126 ⅔ innings), he failed to play the regular innings due to injury, and he pitched more than 150 innings in his career only once. Moreover, he had been weak in the postseason these days. Although he is a good pitcher, there were public opinions that he needed to pay up to 7 billion won (approx.

Samsung, however, thought it would take a considerable amount of money and the loss of compensation to recruit such a starting pitcher, and put Choi on the uniform. Now, with Choi having to prove for four years that the investment is not overpay, the possibility is shining in Okinawa practice matches. He is in good physical condition, and his actual performance is not bad. Among the players in the starting rotation, he is in the lead position.

Choi took the mound as a starter at a practice game against the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese pro baseball league held at Akama Stadium in Okinawa Prefecture on Sunday, and ended the game in a good mood by allowing no runs in two innings. It was his second appearance in Okinawa, but he showed a normal pace by boosting both innings and the number of pitches he pitched. During the two innings, the number of pitches he pitched was relatively economical at 34, and although he had one hit, he secured three strikeouts, saving his team without allowing any runs.

After striking out the first batter in the first inning, he had a right-handed hit after one out, but he caught the follow-up hitter with a fly ball to center field and took a breather. He then allowed a steal, but struck out the opponent's fourth batter with two outs and second base to overcome the crisis of scoring rights. In the second inning, there was a crisis that the first batter got on base due to an error, but he finished the game without losing a point after calmly solving the game by grounding out both batters that followed.

On this day, Choi Won-tae experimented with all of his pitches, including 17 fastballs, 4 changeups, 9 cutters, and 4 curves. The maximum fastball speed reached 146 kilometers per hour, showing off his faster preparation than usual. Choi Won-tae said after the game, "This is my second appearance in the camp, and this is my second time in the camp, and I think I have a better sense of breaking ball and I think the ball thrown toward the right-handed batter's body was also well controlled."

He is also making efforts to improve performance. "Talking to Coach Park Hee-soo, (Baek) Jeong-hyeon, and (Won) Tae-in, I feel that I have improved a lot by leading the release point forward," Choi said. Release points that can maximize one's ball power are slightly different for each player. Choi says he is also trying to find the optimum point. As much as he is satisfied with the process, he can expect more confident pitching going forward.

As Choi pitched well at practice games in Okinawa, expectations are growing in proportion to this that he will establish the strongest starting rotation this year. Samsung has a strong native ace. The heroines the match with Won Tae-in, who tied for the top multiple wins in the KBO League by garnering 15 wins last year. He boasts performance comparable to that of a foreign ace.

In addition, foreign pitchers have already been verified. Ariel Furado, who was quickly brought in by Kiwoom when his contract renewal failed, is a top-rated pitcher who pitched 374 innings in 60 games over the past two years in the KBO League with 21 wins and 16 losses and an earned run average of 3.01. The game was stable and he also showed his performance as an innings pitcher. Danny Reyes also won 11 games and lost 4 with an earned run average of 3.81 in 26 games last year, and won the contract by pitching hard in the postseason.

If Choi Won-tae joins the three-punch game as a 10-win pitcher, all four of them will be able to achieve more than 10 wins. If all four starting pitchers achieve 10 wins, it will be more difficult to produce poor performances. On top of that, Samsung is a team that has relatively abundant resources for five starting pitchers. The team's plan is to reduce the load on the bullpen with the power of strong starting pitchers and to tie up with the lineup, which has grown to the next level last year, to seek the championship this year. It is a very important puzzle, but it is encouraging that Choi has been cruising so far.

Samsung won the game 5-3, combining the strength of its batters who scored points one after another in scoring chances and the mound that showed stability. Samsung had not won a single game in nine practice matches in Okinawa last year, and was given a worrisome prospect at the same time. However, it has successfully changed the mood by accumulating wins from the beginning of practice matches this year. No matter how many practice matches take place, it is not a bad thing in any sense to build feelings and senses to win.

On the mound, starter Choi Won-tae scored two scoreless innings, while fourth pitcher Kim Dae-ho scored two scoreless innings, fifth pitcher Lee Jae-ik and sixth pitcher Park Joo-hyuk each scored one scoreless inning. Park Joo-hyuk, who took the mound in the ninth inning, made a strong impression by striking out all three out counts.

Shim Jae-hoon, who played as the starting second baseman, had two hits, including a double. Shim Jae-hoon said after the game, "I think swinging confidently during my first hit resulted in good results. It was my first time against a Japanese professional player, and I think it was a fun and good experience."