This is incredible. There is a sidearm pitcher who can perfectly shut down left-handed batters.

LG Twins pitcher Park Myung-keun continued his streak of not allowing a run for 10 consecutive games. He is the only 'Mr. Zero' among league pitchers who have appeared in more than 10 games. What is amazing is that he is untouchable against left-handed batters, who are typically his weakness.

On the 25th, Park Myung-keun came on in a crucial moment during the game against the KIA Tigers at Gwangju KIA Champions Field, pitching one inning with one hit, one strikeout, and no runs allowed.

In the top of the eighth inning, with two outs and runners on first and second, Shin Min-jae hit an infield single that went over the pitcher's head toward the second base side, and second baseman Kim Sun-bin's glove toss went wide, allowing the runner on second base to round third and score, breaking the tie at 6-5.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Park Myung-keun took the mound. He allowed a key single to Kim Sun-bin, who had made a crucial error earlier.

With no outs and a runner on first base, the powerful lineup of Wisdom, Choi Hyung-woo, and Na Sung-bum was on deck. Park Myung-keun threw five consecutive fastballs to Wisdom, who leads in home runs, starting with three balls. After three foul balls, he struck him out with a fastball at 146 km/h, resulting in a pop fly to left field.

Now it's the turn of the left-handed batters. Veteran Choi Hyung-woo, known for his ability to capitalize on opportunities, was handled with a changeup on the third pitch that resulted in a pop fly to left field. Na Sung-bum was struck out swinging on a bouncing changeup with a count of two balls and two strikes.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, closer Jang Hyun-sik held onto the one-run lead with the support of third baseman Moon Bo-kyung's successive defensive plays, securing the one-run victory.

Park Myung-keun has made a definite return to the winning roster after overcoming last year's struggles. Drafted by LG in the third round, 27th overall in the 2023 rookie draft, he had an outstanding first year, achieving a record of 4 wins, no losses, 5 saves, and 5 holds with a 3.25 earned run average over 36 games (36 innings) during the first half. He has been mentioned as a rookie of the year candidate.

He was selected as a player recommended by the All-Star manager, but he sustained an injury at the end of the first half, preventing him from participating in the All-Star Game. After returning from injury in the second half, he could not regain his previous good balance. He recorded 3 losses and 4 holds with a 9.39 earned run average over 21 games in the second half and did not make the Korean Series roster.

Last year, he also struggled with injuries and spent a lot of time in the second team. He had a disappointing season with a record of 2 wins, 2 losses, 1 save, and 8 holds, and an earned run average of 6.39 over 33 games. The LG bullpen significantly weakened last year, and Park Myung-keun played a considerable role in that.

This year, Park Myung-keun has regained his powerful pitch. He has recovered well from the aftereffects of his injury. Park Myung-keun has appeared in 10 games, recording 1 win, 1 save, and 5 holds with an earned run average of 0. He has pitched 9⅔ innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 8 batters, with a batting average against of .152 and a WHIP of 0.72.

In particular, while sidearm pitchers typically struggle against left-handed batters, he has shown an incredible batting average against of .077 (1 hit in 13 at-bats). Against right-handed batters, his batting average against is .200. His fastball, nearly 150 km/h, along with his sinking changeup and curveball, are effective against left-handed batters.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeob noted, 'Myung-keun's data from last year is meaningless. The pitches are completely different from last year's struggles. Last year, his pitches were not good at all. This year, he faces both left-handed and right-handed batters with confidence because his pitches are entirely different from last year.'

This season, among the league's bullpen pitchers, Hanwha's Kim Seo-hyun, NC's Son Joo-hwan, and KT's Son Dong-hyun, who were all maintaining an earned run average of 0, each allowed runs on the 25th, breaking their 'zero' streak.

Son Dong-hyun allowed a solo home run to Noh Si-hwan in the game against Hanwha. Kim Seo-hyun gave up an RBI hit to Rojas and became the losing pitcher. Son Joo-hwan allowed 3 runs in 1 inning against Samsung and became the losing pitcher.

Meanwhile, among pitchers who have appeared in fewer than 10 games, Doosan's Park Shin-ji has a record of 1 run allowed in 6 games over 6⅔ innings, and Lotte's Park Si-young has no runs over 6 games and 4 innings.

[OSEN]