The 'Ace of Blue Blood' Won Tae-in (Samsung Lions pitcher), who has been undergoing rehabilitation due to a right shoulder labrum injury, made his return to the mound.

Won Tae-in started in the away game against the KIA Tigers at Hampyeong-Kia Challengers Field on the 23rd. He pitched 3 innings, allowing 2 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, striking out 5 with 1 earned run. Out of a total of 50 pitches, 33 were strikes.

In the first inning, Won Tae-in gave up a solo shot to leadoff batter Jeong Hae-won, and after walking Kim Seok-hwan and allowing a hit to Byeon Woo-hyuk, he faced a crisis with no outs and runners on first and second. However, he struck out all three batters: Oh Seon-woo, Lee Young-jae, and Ko Jong-wook. In the second inning, Won Tae-in induced a pop-up from Park Min and succeeded in getting Ju Hyo-sang and Jang Si-hyeon out with a ground ball to second and a swinging strikeout on the third pitch, respectively.

In the third inning, after striking out Jeong Hae-won, Won Tae-in retired Kim Seok-hwan and Byeon Woo-hyuk with pop-ups, wrapping up a perfect inning. Won Tae-in handed the mound over to Park Jun-yong in the fourth inning.

Manager Park Jin-man noted, 'Both Won Tae-in and Denny Reyes, who have been sidelined due to injuries, are likely to return within this month.' They are expected to start in the weekend three-game series against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium beginning on the 28th.

Meanwhile, the game concluded with Samsung's 5-3 victory. Samsung, trailing 0-1, got a bases-loaded opportunity with one out in the second inning, with consecutive walks from Kim Ho-jin and Lee Hyun-jun, along with a balk by the opposing team, allowing them to overturn the score to 3-1. In the third inning, after one out, Kim Tae-hoon launched a solo shot to right field, extending the lead to 4-1.

KIA, attempting a comeback, narrowed the gap in the fifth inning with two runs from Kim Seok-hwan's RBI single and Byeon Woo-hyuk's ground ball. Samsung then added another run in the sixth inning with Lee Hyun-jun's RBI single after one out, leading 5-3.

Following starter Won Tae-in, Park Jun-yong came in as the second pitcher, throwing 2 innings with 2 hits allowed, 5 walks, and 2 earned runs for the win. Subsequently, Lee Jae-ik, Choi Ha-neul, Kim Yoo-hyun, and Choi Seong-hoon each pitched one inning without allowing a run, showcasing stellar performances.

Batting in the cleanup spot as the designated hitter, Kim Tae-hoon led the offense with 2 hits in 4 at-bats, including a home run, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Lee Hyun-jun also contributed with 1 hit and 2 RBIs.

KIA starter Kim Tae-hyung took the loss after pitching 4 innings, allowing 2 hits (1 home run), 5 walks, 2 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs. Leadoff batter Jeong Hae-won had a standout performance with 3 hits, including a home run, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored, but he lost shine as the team fell to defeat.

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