Won Tae-in's 1 billion won salary ties the best for an eighth-year player… Temporary closer: “I'd like to seek advice from Oh Seung-hwan”
Samsung's Won Tae-in (26) said on the 27th that he is preparing to serve as a temporary closer to fill the gap left by Kim Jae-yoon's injury. He also said he would seek advice from Oh Seung-hwan. His salary is 1 billion won.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-line summary
- Won Tae-in said on the 27th that he is preparing to serve as a temporary closer at the manager's request ahead of Game 2 of the playoffs.
- Won Tae-in's salary for the 2026 season is 1 billion won, up 58.7% from 630 million won the previous year, tying for the highest salary in his eighth season.
- Regarding Oh Seung-hwan, he only expressed the intention to ask for advice if he gets the chance to meet him. It has not been confirmed whether he has actually received any advice.
“If there's a chance to say hello, I'd like to ask advice from the best closer, my senior.” Won Tae-in (26) said this to reporters on October 27 in Daegu, ahead of Game 2 of the playoffs. The senior here is Oh Seung-hwan, who has recorded a KBO career total of 427 saves (44). He has not yet received any advice from him. SPOTV News reported that he intended to ask him if he gets the chance to meet him.
Won Tae-in to serve as temporary closer, filling the gap from Kim Jae-yoon's injury
This change in role began with the injury to closer Kim Jae-yoon. Ilgan Sports reported that Samsung had prepared a plan to use Won Tae-in in late-game relief to fill that gap.
Won Tae-in explained that he is preparing to serve as a temporary closer at the manager's request. News1 reported that Won Tae-in had also been waiting in the bullpen in earlier games and was preparing for a closing appearance that day as well. His stated resolve was simply, “I'll block them perfectly.” As of 21:00 on the 27th, there are no confirmed reports on whether he pitched in Game 2 or what the result was. No timeline for his return to the starting rotation has been announced.
Won Tae-in's salary is 1 billion won, tying the all-time best for an eighth-year player
Won Tae-in's salary for the 2026 season is 1 billion won. In 2025 he earned 630 million won, a raise of 370 million won. Dividing 370 million won by 630 million won, the rate of increase is 58.7%, the largest raise on the team. Yonhap News reports that he ties Hanwha's Noh Si-hwan for the all-time highest salary for a KBO eighth-year player. The previous record was 700 million won, which Kang Baek-ho received in 2025.
| Rank | Player | Team | Salary (KRW) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang Eui-ji | Doosan | 4.2 billion |
| 2 | Ko Young-pyo | KT | 2.6 billion |
| Tied 3rd | Won Tae-in | Samsung | 1 billion |
| Tied 3rd | Noh Si-hwan | Hanwha | 1 billion |
| 5 | Kang Baek-ho | Hanwha | 900 million |
The table above includes only the 5 players confirmed through KBO announcements and multiple reports (as of 2026.03.18), so it is not a full league ranking. The gap between Won Tae-in and top-ranked Yang Eui-ji is 3.2 billion won, and the gap with Ko Young-pyo, just above him, is 1.6 billion won.
Won Tae-in is 26 years old, with 75 career wins and the 2024 wins title
According to his official KBO profile, his date of birth is April 6, 2000, which makes him 26 years old as of October 27. Yagunara lists April 5, so this article follows the official profile. Won Tae-in was drafted by Samsung in 2019 as a first-round pick and received a 350 million won signing bonus. He has played only for Samsung through 2026, and in 2024 he went 15-6 with a 3.66 ERA to tie for the most wins.
According to KBO official records, his career totals as of the end of the 2026 regular season are 213 games 75 wins and 59 losses, 1197⅔ innings, a 3.86 ERA, and 851 strikeouts. This year he pitched in 26 games over 145⅓ innings, going 7-9 with a 4.52 ERA. His win total fell from 15 in 2024 and 12 in 2025 to 7 this year.
No transfer for Won Tae-in has been confirmed yet
According to Yonhap News' January 25 report, Won Tae-in can become a free agent after this season, and Samsung has been pursuing a multiyear contract. As of the 27th, neither a transfer nor a new contract total has been confirmed.
The remaining playoff schedule and Won Tae-in's actual pitching records will be reflected in turn on the KBO official schedule page. Whether he gets a chance to seek advice from Oh Seung-hwan will be confirmed in later reports.
Related official sites
- KBO official schedule and results — playoff game results and remaining schedule
- Won Tae-in's KBO official player profile — date of birth, career totals, and season-by-season stats
- Samsung Lions official website — team announcements and squad news
Representative image · Archival photo · Not a photo of the current game described in the article · Photo montage · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Neoalpha), CC0 · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Johnmaxmena2), CC BY-SA 4.0
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