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Choi finally shows up strong in postseason as Lions top Landers

Published: 10 Oct. 2025, 07:41

Samsung Lions pitcher Choi Won-tae pitches during Game 1 of the first round of KBO playoffs against the SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Oct. 9. [YONHAP]

INCHEON — Samsung Lions pitcher Choi Won-tae shrugged off his reputation as a postseason underperformer on Thursday, delivering a dominant six-inning shutout to lead his side to a 5—2 victory over the SSG Landers in Game 1 of the first round of the KBO playoffs at Incheon SSG Landers Field.

With clutch home runs from Lee Jae-hyeon and Kim Young-woong backing Choi 's performance, the Lions took an early lead in the best-of-five series.

Choi struck out eight, allowed only two hits and one walk and earned Daily MVP honors for his best outing of the season. The win marked his first postseason victory in 19 career appearances.

Before Thursday's game, Choi’s postseason record stood at one loss, one save and three holds, with an alarming 11.16 earned run average.

His best prior playoff start came in 2019, when he allowed five runs in four innings against the SK Wyverns, now the Landers. Since debuting with the Nexen Heroes, now Kiwoom Heroes, in 2015 and later pitching for the LG Twins before joining the Lions this season, Choi had never delivered a confident postseason performance.

Even this October began on a rough note. In the Wild Card Game on Monday against the NC Dinos, Choi entered as a reliever with two outs and runners on base in the seventh inning, but was pulled after hitting a batter. It looked as if his postseason misfortunes would continue.

But Lions manager Park Jin-man had little choice. After using foreign ace Ariel Jurado and homegrown ace Won Tae-in in the two Wild Card games, the Lions had no rested starters left.

Gerson Garabito, the team’s other foreign pitcher, had also been used in relief. Park took a calculated risk, choosing Choi based not on his playoff record but on his consistent success against the Landers this season — two wins, one loss and a 3.18 ERA in five games.

From the first pitch, Choi rewarded that decision. He attacked the strike zone with precision, using pinpoint control to exploit the edges and keep hitters guessing.

He struck out the side in the third inning — Ryu Hyo-seung, Cho Hyeong-woo and Park Seong-han — and froze veteran slugger Choi Jeong with a sharp changeup to end the fourth. His poise and command justified the 7 billion won ($4.9 million) four-year deal the Lions offered him.

“Choi Won-tae delivered his best performance of the year,” Park said after the game. “It was exactly the pitching the team needed. He had lost confidence near the end of the season, but I hope this game helps him build it back.”

The Samsung Lions celebrate winning Game 1 of the first round of KBO playoffs against the SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Oct. 9. [YONHAP]

Choi credited catcher Kang Min-ho for his part in the win.

“I focused on throwing strikes and hitting the corners,” Choi said. “Kang called such a good game that I never had to shake him off once.”

The Lions' bats gave Choi an early cushion. Lee Jae-hyeon opened the game with a home run on the first pitch from Landers starter Mitch White — the first leadoff homer on the first pitch in KBO postseason history. Kim Young-woong extended the lead with a two-run blast in the third inning, putting the Lions in control.

Game 2 is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Incheon SSG Landers Field, with Garabito set for the Lions and Kim Keon-woo on the mound for the Landers.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE YOUNG-EUN,KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]