The 5th starter, which was a question mark before the season, just finished it properly... "Son Joo-young, Yoo Young-chan, you got it. Isn't it okay?"
Jul 02, 2024
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The defending champion LG Twins had to rebuild the mound. Lee Jung-yong, who played well as a starter in the second half of last year, joined the army and needed five starters, and as Ko Woo-seok left for the United States, he suddenly had to choose to finish.
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop made a quick decision. Usually, they choose the best player through competition for candidates until the exhibition game, but Yeom made an early decision and allowed the player to prepare for the role. After Ko Woo-seok signed with the San Diego Padres, Yeom immediately selected Yoo Young-chan as the next closer among bullpen pitchers, and talked about Son Joo-young as the fifth starter in the spring camp.
At the start of the season, expectations and worries coexisted about whether fifth starter Son Joo-young and closing pitcher Yoo Young-chan would be able to play an active role, but the two faithfully performed their roles to the extent that they could be called a `great success' at the end of the first half of the season.
Son Joo-young is throwing while keeping his rotation even though he is the first full-time starter. He is 5-5 with a 3.83 ERA in 16 appearances. Although he failed to enter the ranking table due to insufficient innings, he is tied for ninth place in the ERA.
Throwing 80 innings, he is ranked 21st overall in the number of innings. He ranks 10th among Korean pitchers. He has four quality starts out of 16 games. Still, he is playing a good role even though he is the first full-time starter to throw more than five innings. Foreign pitchers were sluggish in the beginning, and it was difficult for the starters, with Lim Chan-kyu and Choi Won-tae missing recently due to injuries, but Son Joo-young kept the rotation.
As a left-handed pitcher throwing a fast fastball of up to 150 kilometers, he has a high growth potential. Coach Yeom is raising himself as the next-generation left-handed ace.
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Coach Yeom said, `It's a difficult situation because the bullpen is not growing as much as I thought, but I think this will also be an experience, so it will be very helpful next year.' `But didn't we get Son Joo-young and Yoo Young-chan this year. "I made two pitchers a year, so I think this is a success."
indyk@sportschosun.com
