The LG Twins were on track to win the regular season title, but a series of “bad things” have happened. This is perhaps the biggest crisis they’ve faced all season.
After 30 games, LG is having its best year ever with a record of 65 wins, 2 ties, and 41 losses for a .613 winning percentage. LG, which has been recognized as having the strongest roster of the 10 clubs in recent years, has been on track to win the regular season title since the beginning of the season. Head coach Yeom Kyung-yup believes he needs 88 wins to lift the regular season trophy, but things haven’t been going so well lately.
LG was shockingly swept in a three-game series against the NC Dinos in Changwon last weekend. Especially in the second game of the three-game series, they had the misfortune of allowing a game-tying home run when their bat hit the umpire’s heel in what should have been a game-ending situation, narrowing the gap between them and the second-place KT Wiz to just 4.5 games. They are now in a situation where they are not sure if they can hold on to the top spot.
In the midst of all this, there was also bad news. Adam “Ace” Plutko, who had appeared in 21 games this year with an 11-3 record and a 2.41 ERA, has left the team. According to LG officials, Plutko suffered a bone contusion in his left pelvis, which will keep him out for four to five weeks. The injury is not a broken or cracked bone, but it will keep him out for an extended period of time.
For now, Plutko’s absence will be filled by Kim Yun-sik. Kim had a “career-high” season last year, going 8-5 with a 3.31 ERA in 23 games and 114⅓ innings pitched, earning a spot on the World Baseball Classic (WBC) roster. However, he struggled in the WBC with less than perfect physical condition and didn’t improve once the regular season began, going 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA. As a result, Kim was sent down to the second team after 11 games.
Yun-sik Kim started pitching in mid-July and gradually increased his innings, waiting for a call-up to the first team. While his record in the second team is less than stellar, with a 1-1 record and a 5.52 ERA, he’s been preparing for this situation and has earned a spot in the starting rotation in place of Plutko. However, the spot is not guaranteed.
“If (Kim) Yun-sik does well, I think he’ll stay in the starting rotation, but if he doesn’t do well, it will change a lot,” said Yeom Kyung-yup on March 30. There are (Lee) Min-ho, (Kang) Hyo-jong, and (Son) Joo-young as candidates.” “Yoon Sik-i is more prepared than alert. There is a doubleheader, and Yoon Sik-yi is the first trump card in case of such a situation.” In the end, there are several candidates, but Kim Yun-sik’s role is crucial.
“I think he’s the key,” says the commander. The extent to which he can fulfill his role as a starter will ultimately determine whether we go a little more relaxed or whether we play a tight game like we did at the beginning of the season, using the middle pitchers quickly.”스포츠토토
And the bad news doesn’t stop there. From September 1, the team will be able to keep five additional players in the first team due to the implementation of ‘expanded entry’. However, Song Chan-ui, the reigning Tournament Home Run King, who has been playing in the second team, recently suffered a fractured rib. Of course, this is something that they can utilize other resources for, but it’s also not a good thing that they’ve lost a good pinch-hitter.
How the team overcomes this setback at the most crucial point in their run to the regular season title will determine whether they’ll be smiling or crying at the end of the regular season.