Transformed After the Asian Games... Bae Chan-seung Emerges as 'Fall Guardian'

[Anchor]

The most prominent rising star in this year's professional baseball Korean Series is Samsung Lions pitcher Bae Chan-seung, who earned a save in Game 2 of the series.

After returning from the Asian Games, he overcame chronic control issues to leap into Samsung's bullpen ace. Reporter Bae Jeonghun analyzes what changed.

[Reporter]

Bae Chan-seung emerged as a top prospect last year by setting the all-time record for the average fastball velocity among domestic left-handed pitchers, but he struggled with a sophomore slump until this summer.

Until September, he suffered from severe control problems, walking more batters than he struck out, and failed to earn trust on the Asian Games national team, appearing in only two low-leverage games.

However, he became a completely different pitcher after returning from the Asian Games.

Inspired by national team senior Kwak Bin, he shortened his arm stroke, boosting his average fastball velocity by more than 4 km/h. He also refined his changeup, which breaks away from right-handed batters, turning it into a primary weapon.

Bolstered by rising confidence and fewer walks, Bae extended a scoreless streak over his final five regular-season appearances and has grown even further in the postseason.

Taking on an increasingly vital role in the Samsung bullpen following the absence of closer Kim Jae-yoon, he stepped onto the mound in the 12th inning of Game 2 of the Korean Series on November 4 with his team holding a one-run lead. He struck out two batters and shut down KT's cleanup hitters without allowing a run, securing the first postseason save of his career.

[Bae Chan-seung / Samsung Pitcher: I knew I had to go in and protect the lead for us to win, so I tried to shake off the pressure as much as possible and just focus.]

Emerging as Samsung's new bullpen ace, Bae shared a bold goal of winning a championship ring in Daegu.

[Bae Chan-seung / Samsung Pitcher: Using this victory as a stepping stone, we will do our best to win Games 3, 4, and 5 [held in Daegu].]

(Video reporting: Hwang In-seok | Video editing: Lee Hong-myung | Design: Kang Yoon-jung, Hwang Se-yeon, Hyun Min-hee | Footage courtesy of Samsung Lions)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.