Hanwha had runners on first and second in the top of the seventh inning with a 6-3 lead against KIA in Daejeon on April 21. Starting pitcher Felix Peña’s pitch count was 101 and it was time for a change, but the Hanwha bench didn’t move. Peña threw five more pitches to Choi Hyung-woo before being pulled with the bases loaded. His 106 pitches were his most this season.

Socrates Brito was the next batter up. 안전놀이터 Left-hander Bum-soo Kim entered the game in relief, knowing that one big hit could completely change the course of the game. Kim threw a first-pitch slider to Socrates, induced a grounder to the shortstop, and induced a 6-4-3 double play to keep the game scoreless.

It was a pivotal moment in Hanwha’s 7-4 victory, but some critics said the pitching change was a beat too late. Peña’s pitch count was high, and if left-hander Kim Bum-soo had warmed up beforehand, he should have entered the game at the same time as left-hander Choi Hyung-woo.

“I thought Peña’s pitch count was around 110 pitches, and it’s hard to operate when foreign pitchers don’t throw that much,” said Hanwha manager Choi Won-ho, who met with reporters before the game against KIA on the 22nd. “I raised it to 89 pitches in the seventh inning because the count was good (through the sixth inning).” “The reason I changed it to Socrates after facing Choi Hyung-woo was because of the opponent’s timing and history,” he said.

“Choi had no timing on the Peña ball, and Kim Bum-soo was weak against Choi with 10 hits in 25 at-bats. In terms of head-to-head data, this is not a rare occurrence. In the last three years, he’s gone 1-for-6 with five strikeouts. This suggests that Kim is feeling some pressure. That’s why we went to Peña and Choi Hyung-woo.” Against Peña, Choi was held to a fly ball to left field, a grounder to shortstop, and a grounder to third base.

Peña gave up a walk to load the bases, but Kim Bum-soo struck out Socrates on a single to end the game. “Kim Bum-soo was strong against Socrates with eight hits and one walk. “I felt pretty good because Bum-soo blocked it well,” Choi said, adding, “If he hadn’t (blocked it), there would have been a lot of talk about why he changed late.

Hanwha’s starting lineup was Lee Jin-young (right fielder), Kim In-hwan (first baseman), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (designated hitter), Moon Hyun-bin (center fielder), Jeong Eun-won (second baseman), Jang Jin-hyuk (left fielder), Park Sang-un (catcher) and Lee Do-yoon (shortstop). Chae Eun-sung was ruled out of the lineup for the second straight game due to a left big toe contusion and will not be available as a substitute. Kim Tae-yeon will bat fourth against KIA left-hander Lee Yi-ri.

Lee Sung-gon, who batted fourth the day before, suffered a groin injury, but will visit a vacant lot in Gwangju after the game. He will rejoin the team on the 23rd for training against the Changwon NC.