Professional baseball LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb reflected on the challenging three-game series against the Lotte Giants in Busan.

Youm Kyoung-youb said in an interview before the match against the SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field, which will be held on the 23rd, "The games really get weird when we go to Busan."

LG recorded 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the away series against Lotte, held from the 20th to the 22nd. They achieved a significant victory of 17-9 in the first game, but drew 7-7 in the second, and lost 4-11 on the 22nd.

"The second game is the most disappointing," Youm Kyoung-youb said. "I thought it was good when (Lee) Ji-gang covered 2 innings. But (Kim) Jin-sung hit it," he noted with regret. He added, "If we had won the second game, we could have given the players more solid rest for the third game. Right now, all teams are struggling with injuries, so focus and concentration seem important."

Kim Jin-sung allowed a game-tying two-run homer to Go Seung-min in the bottom of the 8th inning on the 21st, while LG was leading 7-5. Youm Kyoung-youb said, "That's how baseball is. I was trying to throw it low, but the ball went there. Watching the highlights, it was right in the home run hit course. Since pitchers can't always throw exactly as they want, there's nothing we can do. I thought if we could just avoid giving up hits, we would be fine, but the ball went there. And how often does a home run happen when a mistake pitch comes in? The Lotte games are just like that. You really never know in baseball," he said with a laugh.

In the first game, which was effectively decided when LG led 10-0 in the second inning, Lotte continued to chase, forcing LG's relief pitchers to come in. Youm Kyoung-youb, relieved, said, "We almost lost the first game. If we had lost the second game, it would have been a real fatal blow. I've never felt cornered while leading by 10 runs as a manager. The Lotte lineup is very strong. Even tough pitches get turned into hits."

LG's starting lineup included Moon Sung-ju (designated hitter), Kim Hyun-soo (left fielder), Austin Dean (first baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Gu Bon-hyeok (third baseman), Song Chan-ui (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), and Lee Young-bin (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Son Ju-yeong. Rookie right-handed pitcher Kim Jong-woon has been called up to the first team, and Kim Yu-yeong has been removed from the roster.

Moon Bo-gyeong is resting due to inflammation in his knee. Youm Kyoung-youb explained, "Moon Bo-gyeong is fortunate that it's just inflammation. However, he will need to manage his defense for a while. I think he will play as a designated hitter tomorrow."

Yu Young-chan, who underwent Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament reconstruction) last year, is also nearing a return. Youm Kyoung-youb mentioned, "Yu Young-chan pitched yesterday, will throw in the bullpen on Tuesday, and pitch for the second team on Thursday before deciding on his return. I think it could be burdensome to keep pitching in games, so I advised him to do bullpen pitching first."

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