(ATTN: ADDS pitcher's comments in paras 5-9, photo)
GWANGJU, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho thanked his closer Jeon Sang-hyun for his hard work during the ongoing South Korean baseball postseason Sunday, while also apologizing to the right-hander for running him into the ground.
Jeon picked up his second straight save of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason against the LG Twins on Sunday, as the Tigers hung on for a 6-3 win. Jeon recorded the final four outs at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju for the second straight day, having earlier helped lock down a 5-1 win on Saturday.
Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho (L) high-fives center fielder Park Jae-hyun (C) after the team's 6-3 win over the LG Twins in Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Oct. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)
Lee has been riding Jeon hard since the late part of the regular season. In October, Jeon threw two innings on three occasions, picking up two relief wins and a save in those games. So far in this series, he has now tossed 2 2/3 innings, more than any other reliever on his team.
"He has been throwing a lot and as his manager, I feel sorry," Lee said sheepishly. "But because he has been pitching so well, our fans and our players are able to leave the ballpark smiling. I hope he can keep doing this for us."
In his own postgame interview, Jeon said Lee often jokes about the pitcher's usage.
"I think he is only putting more pressure on me and I will just let whatever he says go out my other ear," Jeon said with a smile. "But I do appreciate that he has enough trust in me to keep sending me out there. I feel a big sense of responsibility."
The best-of-five series now shifts to the Twins' home in Seoul and the teams will enjoy Monday off before getting back at it Tuesday.
With another day off before the deciding fifth game if the series goes that far, Jeon said, "I feel good enough to be able to pitch in every game in this series if necessary."
"Our offense has been really good and if my guys score enough runs, I will pitch in some stress-free situations," Jeon added.
Kia Tigers reliever Jeon Sang-hyun pitches against the LG Twins during Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Oct. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)
The Tigers scored five of their six runs in the first inning on Sunday. Twins starter Im Chan-kyu retired just one batter and gave up six hits, including five in a row, before getting the hook.
"Our batters had a really good focus and approach right from the get-go," Lee said. "We felt Im Chan-kyu would come out trying to throw strikes and we were ready with an aggressive approach at the plate."
The Twins outhit the Tigers 9-8 but failed to capitalize on a few chances to cash in runs -- including in the eighth inning when Lee Jae-won, put into the starting lineup because of his power, struck out swinging against Jeon with two runners on base.
The cold bats wasted a strong effort by the bullpen, with six pitchers holding the Twins to one run on two hits after Im's early meltdown.
"Our relievers did their job but our lineup just could not score runs when we had to," Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said. "I trusted Lee Jae-won to deliver us a big shot in that spot. He has some issues that he needs to fix in his swing but we will get to that once our season ends."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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