LG Twins pitcher Youm Young-chan recorded a scoreless performance in his first real-game appearance of the season.
On the 22nd, Youm took the mound as a relief pitcher against the NC Dinos at Icheon LG Champions Park, pitching one inning, allowing one hit, and recording one strikeout without allowing any runs.
Youm recorded a maximum fastball speed of 148 km/h and a minimum speed of 145 km/h that day. He threw 10 fastballs, 4 sliders, and 4 forkballs, with 14 strikes out of 18 pitches.
Youm took the mound in the 7th inning with his team trailing 3-10, in a pressure-free situation. He faced the first batter, Park Si-won, and got two strikes with a foul on the first pitch and a swing-and-miss on the second, before getting an out with a fly ball to left field on the fourth pitch.
He allowed a double to Do Tae-hun in right-center. After handling Jo Hyo-won’s groundout to third base, there were two outs with a runner on second. He finished the inning by striking out Kim Beom-jun on the eighth pitch after a 1-ball-2-strike count.
On the 18th, Youm threw 40 pitches in bullpen sessions to enhance his pitching feel, and on this day, he made his first real game appearance of the season.
Manager Youm Kyoung-youb noted last week regarding Youm's return schedule, "I will determine whether to bring him up after having him pitch once or twice for build-up in the second team and monitor his velocity. If the speed does not increase, he will need to pitch longer." He explained, "If his speed exceeds 145 km/h, calling him up to the first team will increase his speed further."
His first outing in the second team saw a velocity of 148 km/h. A comeback by the weekend is expected at the earliest, and the latest by early next week for a first team appearance.
Youm made his debut in the first team in 2023, recording a record of 6 wins, 3 losses, 1 save, and 12 holds over 67 games, with an earned run average of 3.44. He served as a key pitcher from mid-season, contributing to LG's unified championship after 29 years.
In the 2024 season, following Go Woo-seok's move to the U.S., he abruptly took on the closer role, recording a record of 7 wins, 5 losses, 26 saves, and 1 hold with an earned run average of 2.97. He achieved top-tier closer statistics in his first year.
However, after participating in the Premier 12 tournament held in Taiwan last November, he experienced issues with his condition and underwent elbow surgery. After surgery in early December and a five-month rehabilitation, he began pitching in late April, showcasing good form with a velocity of 148 km/h during his first rehabilitation game in the second team.
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