“The goal is 2 wins a month.” Samsung’s first-round draft ace, should the goal be raised? ‘Win, win, win, win, win, win, tied for first place in most wins, ERA just 1 point away, on fire.

It was completely on fire.

Won Tae-in of the Samsung Lions appeared as a starter in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League game against Kiwoom Heroes held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 26th and pitched well in 7 innings, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, and no runs, earning his 4th win of the season.

As can be seen from the records, there was no crisis. After turning the first inning into a three-way inning, there were walks and hits to the body in the second and third innings, but no runs were conceded. In the 4th inning, second baseman Ryu Ji-hyuk made an error, but Choi Joo-hwan, Ko Young-woo, and Joo Seong-won all struck out.

In the 5th inning, leadoff hitter Byun Sang-kwon had his first hit of the day, but later, consecutive pinch hits by Lee Yong-gyu and Kim Hwi-jip turned into base hits, and Song Seong-moon also grounded out to third base. He fulfilled his role by finishing the 6th inning with a three-way inning and the 7th inning without allowing any runs. Kim Jae-yoon and Oh Seung-hwan, who came later, finished the game without conceding a goal.

April’s pace is hotter than anyone else’s. In 5 games in April, he had 4 wins, 1 loss, and an average ERA of 2.15. Looking at his record this season, he has 4 wins, 1 loss, and an ERA of 2.10. He is tied for first place in wins with KIA Tigers foreign one-two punches James Nail and Will Crowe, and is second only to Nail in ERA.

Hotter than anyone else this season. On March 27th, against Jamsil LG Twins in 5 innings, 6 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts, 1 run, no decision, and on April 2, against Daegu Kiwoom Heroes, 5 innings, 7 hits (1 home run), 1 walkout, 4 strikeouts, 4 runs, suffered a defeat. Your game is perfect.

Starting with 4 hits, 3 strikeouts, and 1 run in 6 innings against the Lotte Giants in Busan on April 9, 6 hits (2 home runs), 3 strikeouts, and 2 runs in 5.1 innings against the Daegu NC Dinos on April 14, and 6 against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on April 20. After allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, and no runs in the inning, all of the games that day were marked as wins. Also, he has been pitching scoreless since the 5th inning against Daegu NC on the 14th. 14.1 scoreless innings. It’s flawless.

Won Tae-in, whom I recently met, said, “I am accumulating multipliers faster than expected. He has set a goal of two wins a month, and things are going well. “I want to continue our winning streak as much as possible,” he said. With the current trend, it may be okay to aim for a higher multiplier rather than 2 wins.

SBS Sports commentator Lee Taek-geun, who broadcasted the game that day, also praised Won Tae-in, saying, “Currently, Samsung’s real ace is Won Tae-in.”

Won Tae-in, who joined Samsung as a first-round pick after graduating from Gyeongbuk High School, recorded 4 wins, 8 losses, and 2 holds in the 2019 season and 6 wins and 10 losses in the 2020 season, and then recorded 14 wins and 7 losses in the 2021 season, earning his first double-digit multiplier since his debut. The 2022 season also brought him double-digit multipliers for the second straight year with 10 wins and 8 losses. However, last season, there was no success and the team only recorded 7 wins (7 losses).

Not only is it a dream to achieve double-digit wins in two years, but also to break the record for most wins in a debut season. With Connor Siebold and Danny Reyes still going through an adjustment period, Won Tae-in’s performance is just welcome.

Lee Jeong-won, MK Sports reporter