Samsung Lions' Won Tae-in, currently one of the best starting hitters in the KBO, has added a second changeup to stay ahead of hitters who had grown familiar with his first.
Samsung Lions starter Won Tae-in smiles after a scoreless outing through six innings in the top of the sixth inning against the Kiwoom Heroes during a 2026 KBO game at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on June 16. YONHAP

Samsung Lions’ Won Tae-in has added a second changeup to his arsenal, transforming himself into a true pitching chameleon.

Won is currently known as one of the best starting pitchers in Korea. He recorded 44 wins from 2022 through last year — the most among domestic pitchers.

His 3.52 ERA ranked second among domestic pitchers who logged at least four hundred innings, trailing only KT Wiz’s Ko Young-pyo, who posted a 3.41.

The achievement is even more notable considering that he pitches in the hitter-friendly Samsung Lions Park in Daegu. 

One of Won’s greatest weapons is his changeup. This season, however, he altered his grip to create greater vertical movement.

“At first, it didn’t feel natural in my hand, but now it’s no problem,” Won said. “I’m alternating between the new grip and the old one.”

This means that although both pitches are recorded simply as changeups on the stat sheet, he is using them differently depending on the situation.

Samsung Lions starter Won Tae-in pitches in the top of the third inning against the Kiwoom Heroes during a 2026 KBO game at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on June 16. YONHAP

Unlike sliders and curveballs, which are classified as breaking balls, changeups are generally categorized as off-speed pitches.

Won has long used his changeup as his putaway pitch — which closely resembles his fastball trajectory-wise but arrives more than 20 kilometers per hour (12.4 miles per hour) slower — to induce swings and misses and weak contact.

His changeup ranked seventh in pitch value in both 2024 and 2025. During the 2024 MLB World Tour: Seoul Series, he struck out San Diego Padres slugger Manny Machado with a changeup.

Even so, Won felt that opposing hitters were beginning to adjust.

“I felt hitters were making contact with pitches that should have produced swings and misses in the past,” Won said. “That’s why I worked on creating more downward movement.”

Won went through a difficult start to the season. A flexor injury prevented him from participating in the World Baseball Classic and also kept him off the Opening Day roster.

He later struggled with command issues and received little run support, posting a 3-5 record with a 3.57 ERA. At one point, he even followed a MLB superstition that wearing a uniform in the shower would break a streak of bad luck. Against the Kiwoom Heroes on Tuesday, he aggressively used his improved changeup against right-handed hitters as well, allowing five hits over six scoreless innings.

Samsung Lions pitcher Won Tae-in SAMSUNG LIONS

Won has long been regarded as a naturally gifted player, having inherited athletic talent from his father, former Hyupsung Kyungbok Middle School baseball team manager Won Min-gu, who was also a baseball player. The school is known for producing talented baseball players in Daegu, including Won, Lions’ Koo Ja-wook and KT Wiz’s Kim Sang-su. 

But he has consistently worked to expand his repertoire. While the changeup is effective against left-handed hitters because it fades away from them, it carries greater home run risk against right-handed hitters because it moves toward their bodies. To counter that, he developed a cut fastball and a slider. He has also continued refining his curveball, which he frequently uses to get ahead in the count.

Won not only modified his changeup but also changed his slider grip based on advice from Yoon Suk-min during the offseason. He also added a two-seam fastball with help from Choi Won-tae. Considering that he throws two different versions of a changeup, his arsenal now consists of seven types of pitches.

Of course, having more pitches does not automatically make a pitcher better. But for a pitcher as thoroughly scouted as Won, investing in pitch design is only natural.

“I don’t throw the two-seamer very often, but I prepared it because I wanted to make hitters think about one more thing,” Won said.