Things don’t always go according to plan. Pro baseball is no different — clubs keep a “Plan B” for a reason. For the Samsung Lions, that contingency worked: their winning streak ended, but they avoided sliding into a losing streak.
On May 14 at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, Samsung beat the LG Twins 9-5. Left-hander Lee Seung-hyun had been scheduled to start, but a blister on his foot opened the door for Yang Chang-seop, who threw five innings and allowed two runs. The offense answered, with Lee Jae-hyun launching a grand slam and Kang Min-ho supplying a solo shot to erase the sting of the previous day’s loss. Samsung also reclaimed the second-place spot they’d surrendered to LG a day earlier.
A baseball season is long — 144 games spread over roughly six months. Teams and players go through hot streaks and slumps. Preventing a prolonged losing streak matters more than stacking wins. Even if a team drops a few games, keeping that stretch short is essential to staying near the top.
Samsung had ripped off eight straight wins before the streak stalled on May 13 with a 3-5 loss to LG. It was frustrating, but already in the past. The club needed to reset quickly and protect momentum. That’s why Yang Chang-seop felt the pressure when he took the mound on the 14th — an early collapse would have been costly.
Samsung’s hitters struck early, attacking LG starter Song Seung-gi. They plated five runs in the top of the second when Lee Jae-hyun belted a grand slam and Kang Min-ho followed with a solo homer. The early outburst eased Yang’s workload; he battled through the bottom of the fourth having allowed just one run.
In the top of the fifth, Samsung added two more runs to push the lead to 7-1. LG, however, did not concede. In the bottom of the fifth, Yang yielded two hits and a walk, and found himself in a two-out, bases-loaded jam. Shortstop Lee Jae-hyun misplayed a grounder by Cheon Seong-ho, allowing a run and cutting the deficit to 7-2.
The threat wasn’t over. With two outs and the bases loaded again, Yang fell behind LG cleanup hitter Austin Dean 0-3 and nearly issued a bases-loaded walk. He fought back with consecutive strikes while Dean fouled off several pitches. On the 13th pitch, Yang jammed a pitch inside and recorded the strikeout. Yang could finally exhale; Dean left the box visibly frustrated. That at-bat effectively swung the game in Samsung’s favor.
