Every game at the end of the season is important. The same goes for LG, which has been leading for more than two months. Ace Adam Plutko was excluded from the lineup due to injury, but with a double header being held, management of the 안전놀이터 starting lineup became a key point for the leading shooter. After much deliberation, LG has finalized the pitcher to be promoted to the 2nd team and has completed the composition of the rotation, including next week’s double header.
LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop announced next week’s starting rotation ahead of the Jamsil match against Hanwha on the 2nd. On this day, Kim Yun-sik will take the mound, and on the 3rd, Lim Chan-gyu will be the starting pitcher. Coach Yeom said, “There were many games canceled due to rain, so the rotation kept changing. “He planned the rotation by considering the players’ condition and their compatibility with the opposing team,” he said.
Kim Yun-sik, who was moved down to the second team after the Gocheok Kiwoom match on June 8, went through a long preparation process. As his pitching balance was completely lost, he prepared for the season from the beginning in Icheon as if holding a camp. Since the starting lineup was freed up with the trade signing of Choi Won-tae, we gave ourselves plenty of time.
Kim Yun-sik, who returned to the first team after 86 days on this day, threw 80 pitches and allowed 6 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and 1 run in 5 innings. The most inspiring part about him was his redemption. The highest speed of the fastball was 146 km/h. This season, there were cases where the fastball velocity stayed at 130km, but the decline in velocity seemed to have definitely been avoided.
At the beginning of the game, the changeup, which was the deciding pitch, fell exquisitely, leading to a missed swing and a strikeout. LG is expected to start Kim Yun-sik next week as scheduled.
Regarding Choi Won-tae’s pitch date, Coach Yeom said, “He will pitch next Tuesday. We plan to give Won-tae as much rest as possible. He has already pitched more innings than last year (105.2 innings). “If there had been no cancellation due to rain, he would have considered canceling his entry, but with the rain, he has 10 days to spare until his next appearance,” he said. “I plan to pitch until next Sunday and avoid pitching at intervals of 5 days.” “He will continue to manage it and keep going,” he explained.
Choi Won-tae, who pitched 129.1 innings this year,’s most recent appearance was against Changwon NC on the 25th of last month. Following innings management, partners are also replaced. Heo Do-hwan will team up with Choi Won-tae in the game on the 5th. Heo Do-hwan sits lower as a catcher than starting catcher Park Dong-won, and this is believed to be good for Choi Won-tae to take command. It was also taken into consideration that after transferring to LG, the results of games with Heo Do-hwan were better than those with Park Dong-won.
Next week’s schedule begins with Choi Won-tae starting, and preparations for the double header to be held on the 9th have also been completed. Son Joo-young will appear on the first team stage for the first time this year. Lim Chan-gyu is scheduled to start the first game of the doubleheader on the 9th, and Son Ju-young is scheduled to start the second game. Son Joo-young underwent elbow ligament surgery after starting three games early last year. In this year’s Futures League, he played 13 games and 53 innings.
Coach Yeom said, “Kang Hyo-jong and Lee Min-ho are also starting in the second team, but the report on Son Ju-young is the best.” Following Kim Yun-sik, two left-handed pitchers will join LG’s starting lineup, which was full of right-handed pitchers including Son Ju-young.
Meanwhile, Manager Yeom said of left-handed pitcher Lee Sang-young, who appeared on the Futures League stage on the 1st, “I received a good report. Sang Sang will prepare to be a starting pitcher in the second team. He can play both the starting and middle positions if he gets the starting position. “He will increase his pitching count again and think about when to bring him up to the first team,” he said.
Lee Sang-young, who was discharged from Sangmu last June, began correcting his pitching mechanics after starting for the first team on June 20. He raised his arms like before enlisting in the military and took on his first actual game on the 1st with his returning pitching mechanics.