The Samsung Lions, facing their first last-place finish in franchise history, begin the second half of the season at home.

The Lions open a three-game series against the KT Wiz of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu on April 21. David Buchanan will start against William Cuevas.

Last-place Samsung, which finished the first half with a 31-49 (.388) record, is five games behind the ninth-place Kiwoom Heroes and still has a long way to go. A 7-18 (.280) record in the month of June was particularly painful. There were some positives in July, such as the return of Koo Ja-rook and the addition of Ryu Ji-hyuk, but the team’s sagging mood couldn’t be turned around in one fell swoop.

It’s all about the start. While most teams lean on their 1-3 starters in the first three games, Samsung will start Buchanan to start the series. The other two games are expected to be split between Won Tae-in and Albert Suarez.

The first game will be more important than ever as the ‘first choice’ will face off. Buchanan, who went 7-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 109 1/3 innings over 17 games in the first half, gave the team a valuable victory in his last start against the Gwangju Kia Tigers on April 13, throwing nine innings of four-hit ball, striking out eight and walking one in a 119-pitch complete game.

For Buchanan, the game was especially meaningful. On May 27 against the KT Wiz in Daegu, Buchanan took the loss after allowing five runs on 11 hits in four innings with one walk and three strikeouts. It was the only time in his first 17 games that he left the mound without completing five innings. Buchanan has a chance to erase the pain.

The silver lining is that Samsung has had some pleasant memories against KT this season. They have a head-to-head advantage against only two teams, and KT is one of them. In nine games, Samsung has the better record, winning 5-4. However, in their most recent meeting, last month’s series against KT in Suwon from April 16-18, Samsung won 2-1 and ended the three-game series with a loss.온라인바카라

Samsung has never finished last in the KBO before, and the players, coaching staff, and fans all want to avoid that disgrace. Samsung will look to rebound in the first three games of the second half against KT.