Normally, I would have changed the pitcher there, but I hesitated for a moment. We lost the game because of the manager.”
We were unable to replace the starting pitcher who had been pitching well in time. The burden was placed on a player who was supposed to be one of the starters in a team aiming for a second straight win.
LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, whom we met at Jamsil Stadium on the 3rd, said, “Baseball is not going well these days,” and was most upset about missing the timing of Choi Won-tae’s pitcher replacement the previous day.
Choi Won-tae pitched well, striking out 10 through the 5th inning. However, he explained that Kim Jin-seong should have been brought up immediately from Park Geon-woo’s at-bat with 2 outs and 1st base in the 6th inning with a 4-2 lead. As a result, Choi Won-tae missed the opportunity for his first win of the season due to a mistake in replacing the pitcher, and Kim Jin-seong was a bitter reflection that he was under the yoke of a losing pitcher.
(Choi) Won-tae’s pitch was really good. It got better as time went by. So, I was conflicted for a moment. Replacing the pitcher is a result anyway, but I should have followed my style. It was right to replace it there. Once it was messed up, the timing of the next pitcher replacement was also difficult to organize. “It’s too bad. So, can we win the game? The whole process of losing three times in a row was like that.”
LG is the ‘defending champion’, having won the Korean Series for the first time in 29 years last year. One of the strongest contenders for the championship again this year. This is a team that stands out for its solid pitching. Coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop strengthened his resolve, saying, “Now the winning percentage is 50%. Starting today, I will play the game thinking of it as the opening game.”
The ‘winning coach’ never made a mistake twice. Son Joo-young, the starting pitcher for the NC game on the 3rd, was consistently shaken, giving up 3 hits and 6 walks in 4 innings. Manager Yeom Kyeong-yeop quickly replaced pitchers and led to a 5-0 victory, even though Son Ju-young pitched four scoreless innings.
e walked the leadoff hitter in the 1st to 3rd innings in a row. He overcame the crisis with 2 outs, 1st and 2nd bases in the 1st inning. In the second inning, he hit a timely hit with two outs and runners on first and second base, but left fielder Moon Seong-ju caught Seo Ho-cheol at home with a fantastic throw.
Finally, in the 3rd inning, he faced a crisis of bases loaded with no outs due to a walk, a hit, and a walk. However, he took a breather by using a powerful fastball to strike out, hit straight to second base, and cut off the follow-up hit with a grounder to shortstop. In the fourth inning, he gave up another walk with one out, but ended the inning by turning the next batter into a double play.
Anyway, the result was 4 innings without a run. Although the number of pitches was 91, the winning pitcher could have been given one more inning opportunity. Compared to the previous three innings, the pitching performance in the fourth inning was noticeably better. In the process of overcoming repeated crises, coach Yeom Kyung-yeop’s ability to say, “I am confident of a 70% win rate in a match between the five starters” also shone. The team’s batting lineup also provided early support, including Park Dong-won’s two-run gun, and was ahead 4-0.
However, coach Yeom Kyung-yeop put an end to his regrets by immediately putting Lee Ji-gang in the 5th inning. The first thing to do is to block any excuses that could rob the opponent of the flow. Thanks to this, the honor of winning pitcher that day went to Lee Ji-gang.
After the game, coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “Son Joo-young had poor balance, but thanks to Park Dong-won’s management, he lasted 4 innings and became the stepping stone to victory. Lee Ji-gang has been having a hard time these days, but thanks to him, we were able to continue the trend. First win of the season. “Congratulations,” he emphasized.
For more Info, here: 토토사이트