S. Korean pitcher Won Tae-in all smiles after striking out Padres star Machado

After returning home from spring training with his Samsung Lions earlier this month, pitcher Won Tae-in started looking ahead to his national team duty for exhibition games against the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul. In particular, Won said at the time that he wanted to face the Padres' All-Star third baseman, Manny Machado. That moment materialized Sunday night at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, as Machado stepped up to the plate with one out in the bottom of the third inning. Won battled Machado for six pitches and got him swinging on a 76.9 miles-per-hour changeup. "I went into that matchup thinking I was playing a video game," Won said with a smile after the Padres took the game 1-0. "Just playing against such a great player is huge for me. I wanted to savor it as much as I could." Won said his final pitch to Machado was exactly the one he had in mind. "I was telling my teammates I wanted to strike him out with a changeup, and it came true," Won said. "I was so happy I couldn't st op smiling." Won did not have as much success against the Padres' South Korean hitter, Kim Ha-seong. While Kim played in the Korea Baseball Organization, Won had held him hitless in eight at-bats. This time, Kim singled off Won for his only hit of the game. "I was ahead in the count (at 1-2), and I wanted to challenge him with a fastball," Won said. "I made a good pitch but he just hit it so easily. He was already a great player here and that moment made me realize he'd become an even better player. It was easy to see why he's so highly rated in the majors." Source: Yonhap News Agency