Professional baseball player Song Seung-gi (23) of the LG Twins has ranked first among domestic players in the league for earned run average, surpassing many notable pitchers.

Song Seung-gi pitched as the starting pitcher in a game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 8th, allowing only 2 hits over 7 innings, with 2 walks, 1 hit by pitch, 5 strikeouts, and a scoreless performance.

Despite being unfamiliar with pitching at the Gocheok Dome for the first time, he threw 20 pitches in the first inning, quickly adapting to finish innings 2 to 5 with only 43 pitches. He allowed just 1 hit up to the 5th inning and permitted his first advance to second base after 2 outs in the 6th. With Song Seung-gi's strong performance, LG won 7-2.

Song Seung-gi recorded his 7th win of the season, placing him in a tie for 4th in wins. He lowered his earned run average to 2.30. He has pitched scoreless in his last 3 games, extending his scoreless innings streak to 20⅔. He ranks 3rd in earned run average behind Hanwha's Ponce (2.20) and SSG's Anderson (2.28). Among domestic pitchers, he surpassed KT's Song Hyung-jun (2.43) and Samsung's Won Tae-in (2.68) to claim the top spot.

He is a special lefty who appeared like a comet. Song Seung-gi was picked by LG in the 9th round, 87th overall, in the 2021 rookie draft. Director General Cha Myung-seok noted about Song Seung-gi's selection that "Honestly, I didn't even know who Song Seung-gi was at that time. I was focused on the 3rd to 4th rounds and didn't pay much attention to the lower rounds. Scout team leader Baek Seong-jin said he would draft Song Seung-gi in the 9th round because he has good pitching form as a left-handed pitcher."

Since joining LG, he has pitched in the first team for 7 games (8⅓ innings) in 2022, and before going to the military in 2023, he pitched in 1 game (1 inning). All appearances were as a relief pitcher. In the second team, he pitched both as a starter and a reliever. Pitching coach Kyung Hun-ho (currently with SSG) recognized Song Seung-gi's potential early. Coach Kyung Hun-ho suggested that "We should send Song Seung-gi to the military quickly and have him return as a starter; we need to develop him."

Last year, Song Seung-gi recorded 11 wins and 4 losses over 20 games (104⅔ innings) as a starter with the Army, achieving the titles of wins, earned run average, and strikeouts king with 121 strikeouts. His fastball velocity also increased from 144 km/h to 148 km/h before enlistment.

Manager Youm Kyoung-youb early named Song Seung-gi as the 5th starter during spring camp. He saw potential in Song Seung-gi's tracking data from his progression in the Army. Manager Youm explained, "I believe the data works (in the first team). Looking at the tracking data, Seung-gi's RPM is good, and his vertical movement is excellent. Even if the fastball velocity is 145 km/h, it rarely gets hit and induces many foul balls. Even though it's the same 145 km/h, Seung-gi's data is good."

Although he throws up to 150 km/h as a left-handed pitcher, Song Seung-gi is currently ranked 18th in strikeouts (67). He is not the type to overwhelm batters with his stuff. Ponce (119 strikeouts) and Anderson (108 strikeouts) are ranked 1st and 2nd in strikeouts, respectively. Nonetheless, Song Seung-gi's pitches are difficult for batters to hit. His opponent batting average stands at .194, ranking 2nd in the league, while Ponce leads with .182. As Manager Youm described, Song Seung-gi's pitches are different even at the same velocity.

Song Seung-gi made his starting debut on March 27 against the Hanwha Eagles, performing fantastically in front of a packed crowd of 23,750 at Jamsil Stadium with 7 innings, 1 hit allowed, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, and no runs.

Although he is currently rotating in the starting lineup for the first time, he is adapting well, thanks to his experience of playing an entire season as a starter last year with the Army. On May 20, he recorded 3 earned runs over 5 innings against Lotte, then after a four-day rest, on May 25, he secured victories in both outings, pitching 6⅔ innings without allowing a run against SSG. This was the first time he pitched twice a week from Tuesday to Sunday. After an 8-day break, he threw 6 scoreless innings against NC on the 3rd and again achieved a scoreless 7 innings against Kiwoom on the 8th, marking another two wins within a week.

After the victory against Kiwoom on the 8th, Song Seung-gi said, "Before I pitch, the team always carried a losing streak, and the older players said today, 'You really have to deliver.' I think it turned out well because I didn't feel pressured and just did what I needed to do." He also noted, "These days, my control of breaking balls has improved significantly, which makes things easier. I can quickly create favorable ball counts, allowing me to engage in battles more easily."

Upon hearing that he became the league's top player in earned run average, Song Seung-gi was surprised, saying, "Really?" and added, "It’s not even the mid-season yet, and while it would be great to maintain this all the way to the end, I consider it an honor that I can be named like this for once."

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