The LG Twins, a professional baseball team that had entered a "baiting period" to rebound in performance, faced the biggest crisis of the season. While the trusted foreign starter Choi Won-tae and left-hander Shin Yoon-sik were struggling with a slump, the starting lineup collapsed.
As of Tuesday, both Casey Kelly and Detrick Ence had an earned run average of five points. Kelly was disappointed as he allowed five runs in five innings in a home game against the SSG Landers during the 2024 KBO League regular season held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the previous day. He allowed Jihoon Choi, the opponent team's leading hitter, to a straight walk from the top of the first inning, and had a three-run homerun hit by Guillermo Eridia through a mistake in his breaking ball.
Kelly, who threw 35 pitches in the first inning alone, allowed Choi Jeong to hit a timely two-run ball in the fifth inning, and exited the mound with 104 pitches. Kelly pitched three consecutive games with more than five earned runs, but this season's record fell to one win and four losses with an earned run average of 5.52 in eight games. However, LG snapped a three-game losing streak by winning 8-5 games based on the batters' capacity and capability.
The problem is that Korean starting players are also out due to injury. Choi, who served as the ace by allowing two runs in three wins and 19 innings in three games up to Sunday's game against the NC Dinos, faltered by allowing three runs in four and two thirds of innings in a game against the SSG on Sunday. The cause was abnormalities in his left hip muscle. As a result, he was excluded from the roster of the primary team on Tuesday, but is expected to return after a 10-day break. Kang Hyo-jong will play in an away game against the Lotte Giants on Tuesday.
Kim Yun-sik, who took the mound for the first time in this season's match against the KIA Tigers on April 26, has been diagnosed with damage to his internal ligament. He will join the army after undergoing reconstructive surgery on April 10, and will not be able to see him for a while. "It's elbow injury that lasted for several years, so someone has to make a decision. It's better to get the surgery done quickly," LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said ahead of the match against the SSG on the previous day. "We need to solve the military problem as well. We will enlist as soon as possible."
Yeom said he would use Lee as a starting pitcher. When Choi returns, Lee will likely replace Lim Chan-kyu with three losses and a 5.50 ERA in eight games. Lee, who had been active in the bullpen for the first five games of this season with one win, nine thirds of an earned run, and 1.93 earned runs in one inning, was briefly absent from the primary league due to shoulder injury, but will play a Futures League game starting on Saturday. In an emergency situation, LG will mobilize all pitching resources, including relief pitcher Lee Sang-young and Baek Seung-hyun.
"We don't have many options for strategy this season because we don't have enough players to utilize," Yeom said. "A bat is the only way for pitchers to find stability. That is baseball that suits our team's color," he said. "Players feel pressure from opportunities as the balance builds. We need to resolve it quickly."
BY: 스포츠토토핫