A new end leader saved the team in front of the "end leader" who locked the back door of the Samsung Lions until last year.메이저놀이터

Lee Ho-seong of the Samsung Lions took the mound in an away game against the SSG Landers of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Saturday, and pitched well in two ⅓ innings with 34 pitches, one hit, and no outs, and five strikeouts. It was his fifth save of this season.

Lee Ho-seong joined the team at a timing that no one expected. Samsung scored 2-0 in the top of the seventh inning due to Koo Ja-wook's timely hit. However, Bae Chan-seung, who took the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning, was shaken. As he piled up runners, he got a timely RBI by Kim Chan-hyung. The team now has a one-run gap.

With runners on the first and second bases with two outs, Oh took the batter's box. Samsung manager Park Jin-man ordered the replacement of right-handed pitchers. However, it was none other than Lee Ho-seong who came out of the bullpen. He pitched the closing pitcher with two outs in the seventh inning. He was a "super-stronger" who came out after judging that he should not overcome the mood here.

If the batter fails, the hitting will be a big choice. However, Park's judgment was accurate. Lee Ho-seong overwhelmed SSG hitters with his explosive pitching. He ended the inning with a swing and miss strikeout of the first batter, Oh Tae-gon.

After overcoming the crisis, Lee struck out Guillermo Herredia and Choi Jeong again in the eighth inning. He also grounded out to second base to end the inning.

Lee Ho-seong's quality pitching also boosted Samsung's batters. In the top of the ninth inning, Lee Seong-gyu's sacrifice fly allowed him to run away 3-1. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Lee Ho-seong came out again. He already threw 20 pitches by the eighth inning, but he started to finish the game by himself.

Lee Ho-seong caught Han Yu-seom with a fly ball to the center field, but Lee Ji-young hit the ball to the right. Still, Lee remained firm. He struck out Park Sung-han and Kim Chan-hyung consecutively, ending the game with amazing performances. It was the moment when Samsung ended its two-game losing streak and posted its 32nd win (one draw and 28 losses) for this season.

Perhaps because it was his first appearance in four days, he properly flexed his ball. The maximum speed of a fastball was 154 kilometers per hour. Cutters and curves were also put in the right place to cook for SSG hitters. Notably, his "pin point" ball control, in which he garnered three strikeouts alone, was impressive.

Lee Ho-sung is the best "lucky" on the Samsung mound this year. Although his growth was slow last season, he has been worried about fans, but he has completely changed this season.

After graduating from Incheon High School, Lee Ho-seong was selected by Samsung as the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2023 KBO Rookie Draft. He gained attention as the first starter thanks to his fastballs and solid physique. He displayed potential with one win and 2.65 ERA (five runs in 17 innings) in five games for the first team in the first season, raising expectations.

However, he suffered from severe growth last year. Due to situations wherein his team was taking the mound, he was called by the first team several times, but suffered a slump. He left poor result in 16 games (12 starts) with two wins, four losses and an earned run average of 7.40. He thus expressed disappointment due to his poor physical stamina and pitching capability.

The desperate Lee Ho-seong came back as a different person. He learned the routines of senior pitchers and succeeded in bulk-up, recovering his ball power. He gained high expectations by spraying fastballs with speeds of 150 kilometers per hour starting from the exhibition game.

He had tough days again, posting an ERA of 7.80 through April during the regular season. The problem was that each game varied greatly. However, he stabilized the ball little by little in May and became a reliable bullpen pitcher. Eventually, he replaced Kim Jae-yoon, who was sluggish as of May 9, as the closing pitcher.

Was the outfit suitable for the finish? Lee Ho-seong is on a roll after switching to the final round. In 11 games since May 9, Samsung has pitched well with two wins, five saves and an earned run average of 2.03, resolving its troubles behind the scenes. Then, despite his seven-out save, he showed off his guts by pitching five strikeouts.

On the Samsung bench was Oh Seung-hwan, the "finisher" who joined the first team on the 3rd. On this day, Lee Ho-sung took the mound in front of Oh Seung-hwan for the first time since he turned to the closing pitcher. And he proved himself. Maybe we saw a historical moment when a "new finisher" was born in front of the "original finisher."