The second game of the playoffs (PO, 3 wins out of 5) between LG and Samsung, scheduled to be held in Daegu on the 14th, was postponed due to rain. Accordingly, in the game held at the same venue on the 15th, a starting matchup was held between Won Tae-in (Samsung, 3.66) and Son Ju-young (LG, 3.79), who ranked first and second in ERA among Korean starting pitchers this season.
The team that welcomed the rainy season more that day was LG. LG, ranked 3rd in the regular season, had a close game with KT that went all the way to the 5th game of the semi-playoffs (semi-PO, 3 wins out of 5 games) and moved up to PO. LG also lost 4-10 in the first game held on the 13th, so they desperately needed a break and a change of atmosphere.
LG coach Yeom Kyeong-yeop said, “I thought it would be nice to take a day off, but it really rained,” and added, “I expect that the flow of the series will change with the change of starting pitcher.”
LG shifted the foreign pitcher who was scheduled to start on the 14th against the Ens after Game 3 and announced that left-handed pitcher Son Joo-young would be selected for the game on the 15th.
Son Joo-young is a player selected by Coach Yeom as a ‘key player’ in the postseason. Son Joo-young appeared in relief in the 3rd inning of the 3rd semi-PO game against KT on the 8th and earned the relief win with a pitching pitch of 5 1/3 innings, 2 hits, no runs, and 7 strikeouts. He is currently showing the best performance in the team, recording 2 scoreless innings in the 5th game of the semi-PO on the 11th.
Coach Yeom also considered Son Ju-young as the starter for the second game of PO on the 14th, but considering his recovery in condition, he designated him as the starter for the third game on the 16th. However, due to a rainy day, Son Ju-young was naturally able to be sent to the second game. Son Joo-young made three starts against Samsung in this year’s regular season and was strong with two wins and an ERA of 1.04.
Samsung will start native ace Won Tae-in, who was scheduled to start on the 14th. Won Tae-in tied for first place in most wins with Kwak Bin (Doosan) with 15 wins this year. Samsung coach Park Jin-man said, “LG’s left-handed hitters are strong, but Won Tae-in threw a good ball regardless of right-handed or left-handed hitters. “If we pitch like we did in the regular season, we will get good results,” he said. Won Tae-in pitched in two games against LG in this year’s regular season, losing once and recording an ERA of 4.09.
Daegu = Reporter Lee Heon-jae uni@donga.com