Can the shock of the devastating loss be forgotten and succeed in winning?
The professional baseball LG Twins will play their final game of the weekend three-game series against the SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 25th. This is the third game where winning is at stake, as they split the previous two games with one win and one loss.
LG suffered a shocking last-inning loss the previous day (24th). With the score tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning, SSG created an opportunity with a double that went past first base by Park Seong-han after one out. Choi Jeong walked on an automatic intentional walk.
LG's bullpen Kim Jin-sung faced Han Yu-seom with the bases loaded. The ball hit by Han Yu-seom flew high toward the left field fence. Left fielder Kim Hyun-soo dropped the ball just before catching it at the fence. The ball, which had slightly hit the fence, fell out of the glove. The runner on second base, who was watching the ball between second and third, quickly rounded third and ran home to score the winning run. Most people expected a pop-out, but it became a walk-off hit, ending the game.
The leader LG has a record of 32 wins, 1 draw, and 18 losses, leading by two games over the second-place Lotte Giants (30 wins, 3 draws, 20 losses). SSG achieved a dramatic victory, with a record of 25 wins, 1 draw, and 24 losses, placing them in a tie for fifth place, trailing the fourth-place NC Dinos (23 wins, 2 draws, 22 losses) in winning percentage.
LG will face SSG starting pitcher Jeon Young-jun on the 25th. He is a newcomer that LG batters may not be familiar with.
Jeon Young-jun joined the team as the 82nd overall pick in the 9th round of the 2022 rookie draft. In his debut year in 2022, he recorded 4 games without a win or loss and an earned run average of 7.20 (4 innings, 4 earned runs). He enlisted in the military in 2023 and returned last year after completing his service. This year, he recorded 2 wins, 2 losses, and an earned run average of 3.81 in 7 games in the Futures League.
On the 20th, Jeon Young-jun, who was called up to the first team, started as a substitute pitcher in a game against the Doosan Bears. He recorded 3 earned runs in 4⅓ innings with an earned run average of 6.23. This will be his second start of the season against LG.
LG was unable to effectively attack the SSG mound, which had faced bullpen day due to a hole in their starting lineup the day before. They missed a scoring chance with runners on first and second and nobody out in the second inning against rookie left-hander Kim Gun-woo. They managed to score one run in the third inning, but later, in a two-out bases loaded situation, Oh Ji-hwan hit the first pitch from the second pitcher Choi Min-jun, ending the attack with a ground ball to first base. The chances of winning will increase if they can knock Jeon Young-jun out early.
LG's starting pitcher is Song Seung-gi. He has a record of 4 wins, 3 losses, and an earned run average of 3.20 in 9 games this year. This will be his first start against SSG.
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