Lions ace ready to sacrifice his body for Korean Series title

Samsung Lions ace Won Tae-in saw his excellent Korean Series start against the Kia Tigers get disrupted by rain Monday night in the southern city of Gwangju. With Won having thrown five shutout innings on just 66 pitches and the Lions having taken a 1-0 lead on Kim Hun-gon's solo homer off James Naile in Game 1 of the Korea Baseball Organization championship series, the game was suspended at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju. Won could easily have gone back out for the sixth and even the seventh inning, given the way he had induced a parade of weak grounders and harmless flyballs with his mix of sliders and changeups. In yet another twist, the suspended first game and the regularly scheduled second game were both postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday. This gives Won an extra day of rest before he can potentially take the ball for Game 4 on Saturday at home, Daegu Samsung Lions Park. "Even if we'd played the games today, I would have been ready to start Game 4 on three days' rest. Luckily for us, I will now have four days of break before Game 4," Won told reporters after the games were pushed back Tuesday afternoon. "So I will be in pretty good condition for that game. If the series goes to seven games, I will be ready to go on three days' rest for that. And if the team wants me to pitch in relief, I can do that, too." Won, who is pitching in the Korean Series for the first time in his six-year career, said he wanted to make the most of this opportunity. "I feel like I can even pitch tomorrow. There's nothing I won't do as long as we can win the championship. We don't know when a chance like this will ever come again," he said. "It's not just myself. All of my teammates are ready to sacrifice their bodies because we don't want to waste this opportunity." Reflecting on his outing Monday, Won said he felt confident beforehand that he could have "one of the most memorable games of my career. "To have it end the way it did was really disappointing," Won added. "I was feeling great and my confidence was runnin g high." The Lions had two runners aboard with nobody out in the sixth with the slugger Kim Young-woong at the plate. Won said he felt confident his teammates could tack on a few runs when the game resumes Wednesday. "We will be in a great spot and if we can get just a couple more runs, we should be able to take the first game," Won said. "And if we ride that wave to win the second game, then we will have the momentum fully on our side. We'll try to take both games tomorrow." Kim Hun-gon, the home run hitter Monday night, also predicted the Lions will be able to pick up right where they left off. "I don't think our momentum was halted because of the suspension," Kim said. "We just have to continue what we did last night. Obviously, momentum is considered important in a postseason series, but I am not disappointed that the game ended that way last night." The Tigers might have caught a break with the suspension Monday night, because they will not face Won after the restart, and they are still the favorite team in this series as the No. 1 seed. Won said he doesn't mind the underdog label, noting that the Lions were also considered one against the LG Twins in the last series and still beat them in four games of their best-of-five round. "I think it helps us when experts pick the other team to win," Won said. "It puts the pressure on the other guys. We're already ready to prove doubters wrong." Source: Yonhap News Agency