“How long can we not record an earned run average of 0.00?”

LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said this while reflecting on the game against the Doosan Bears on the 7th, where Park Myung-keun became the losing pitcher, suffering his first earned run of the season.

Park Myung-keun, who had maintained a streak of 13 consecutive scoreless games since the opening, took the mound in the 6th inning with a 2-1 lead. He allowed no outs, gave up 4 runs, and hung his head. Park Myung-keun was put in a bases-loaded situation with no outs due to consecutive hits by Jake Cave and Yang Eui-ji, and a walk to Kim Jae-hwan. He allowed an infield hit to Yang Seok-hwan and permitted the game to be tied at 2-2.

In the continued bases-loaded crisis, Kim Gang-ryul took the mound in place of Park Myung-keun and issued a bases-loaded walk to Oh Myung-jin, followed by a 2-RBI double to Kang Seung-ho. Park Myung-keun's earned runs increased to 4.

After the game against the Samsung Lions on the 9th was canceled due to rain, manager Yeom Kyung-yeop met with reporters and noted, “At some point, it was inevitable that the score would come. That was the game two days ago,” adding, “How long can we not record an earned run average of 0.00? I thought there would come a time when we would give up runs, but it came heavily. We should have only allowed 1 run.”

As the season progresses, there are good times and bad times. Perhaps that is why Yeom Kyung-yeop stated, “It is important for us to consistently play the baseball we have prepared throughout the season. If the manager, coaches, and players all perform their roles well, good results will naturally follow. We need to go through a season without getting overly excited or depressed.”

He added, “There are no consistently good teams or consistently bad teams. A top team can suffer a 5-game losing streak, and a bottom team can achieve a 5-game winning streak. Minimizing fluctuations is important.”

Although it was an unfortunate loss, left-handed pitcher Choi Chae-hung’s strong performance was a silver lining. Choi Chae-hung, who newly joined the LG team as compensation for the free agent pitcher Choi Won-tae (Samsung), took the starting mound that day and pitched 4 innings, allowing 1 run. He allowed only 1 walk and struck out 4 batters.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “He fulfilled his role adequately. He can be used as a starter as well as in the bullpen. The fact that he has a low walk rate is good. He has established what kind of pitching style he should adopt. That is necessary for effective pitch selection and game management.”

He added, “The pitching coach and the analytics team also judged that Choi Chae-hung's pitching was not bad. Until now, we did not have a left-handed bullpen, but this game created a new card that we can utilize.”

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