The Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) are hoping to make the playoffs this season and produce a homegrown 15-win pitcher. One of the players who can fulfill both dreams is Won Tae-in, the blue-blooded ace.

Won has appeared in 27 games this season, posting a 14-6 record with a 3.75 ERA. His 14th win against the NC Dinos on April 8 tied his career high for wins in a single season. With one more win, he will reach the 15-win plateau for the first time in his career.

Won Tae-in was scheduled to start the home game against the Kiwoom Heroes on April 21, but the game was postponed due to rain and he will start on April 22. Samsung's magic number for the playoffs is 1. Samsung's magic number has been reduced to '1' after the Doosan Bears swept a doubleheader against their 'Jamsil rivals' LG Twins on April 21, taking one game and one loss.

If Samsung wins or third-place LG loses, the magic number will disappear. The ideal scenario would be for Won Tae-in to reach the 15-win mark for the first time in his 22nd season and for Samsung to unfurl a banner after the game to celebrate a direct playoff berth.

Won Tae-in has historically been strong in the first half and weak in the second, but this season he has won seven games in both halves. In his last start against the SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on April 15, he was not at his best in the heat, allowing five runs on nine hits (one home run) in four innings with two walks and two strikeouts. Won Tae-in was strong in a high-stakes game for an ace. Expect more of the same from the blue-blooded ace in this game.

Kiwoom may be at the bottom of the leaderboard, but he has shown persistence, including a big ninth inning against SSG on the 19th. That means they're not a pushover. Kiwoom starter Ariel Furado has also been dominant against Samsung this season, going 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in addition to reaching the 10-win mark for the second straight year. It all comes down to how much the Samsung bats are willing to target Furado.

Meanwhile, Park Jin-man, who will be playing fall baseball for the first time since taking over as manager, said, “During my playing days, the postseason was like a bonus game. It's a different atmosphere than the regular season,” Park said. “We have a lot of young players on the team, and I want them to finish the regular season well and enjoy fall baseball. The postseason experience will help them grow. We want them to take it easy and have fun,” he added.

Park added, “I don't plan to make any major changes to the first team roster after clinching second place. I'm planning to play a lot of players from the back, but I'm going to send out the existing players first and replace them for fitness reasons. We have an expanded roster, so it's not a problem. Unless there are injuries, there will be no roster changes.”

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