While the second playoff game was canceled due to rain, the LG Twins made changes to the starting pitcher. Son Joo-young, not Detrick Ens, will be in charge of starting the second game.
“The starting pitcher has changed,” LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said before the second playoff game against the Samsung Lions in the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League postseason, which was scheduled to take place at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on Friday, was canceled due to rain. “(Son) Joo-young will be the starting pitcher for the second playoff. I don’t know the starting pitcher for the third playoff yet.”
LG lost 4-10 in the first playoff game on Sunday. It was painful for LG that Choi Won-tae, who had showdowns with Danny Reyes as the starting pitcher, was sluggish in three innings with seven hits (two homers), three strikeouts and five runs scored. The team’s batters started chasing after him belatedly by scoring three runs in the top of the seventh inning alone, but failed to narrow the gap, forcing the team to accept the loss.
LG needed an opportunity to change the mood. After playing five games in the semi-playoff against KT Wiz, LG started its playoff schedule after taking a day off, and had to worry about accumulating fatigue.
Under these circumstances, rain eased LG’s burden. Light rain fell at Daegu Samsung Lions Park from Friday morning, and the amount of rain increased around 3 p.m. Both the home team Samsung players and the away team LG players prepared for the game indoors. Things did not get better over time. Eventually, the Korea Baseball Organization officially announced the cancellation of rain at 4:45 p.m. The second round of the playoffs between the two teams will take place on Saturday.
Coach Yeom, who welcomed KBO’s decision, said, “I wanted to take a day off because I thought it would help us a little bit. I think it’s a little helpful rain,” and expressed expectations, “I think the flow will change (due to the cancellation of rain).”
Samsung did not change its starter and announced Won Tae-in as the starter for the second game, and in the case of LG, Son Joo-young will take the starting mound instead of Ens. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop was thinking of Son Joo-young as the starter for the second game ahead of the playoffs, but he made changes to the starting team through consultation with the training part, but as the schedule was adjusted due to rain, Son Joo-young could be put on the mound as originally planned.
“I checked with the training part once more and received a report that it is possible. The speed of recovery is also important, and you are the most important. I decided to select Son as the starting member for the second round because both the player himself and the training part agreed,” Yeom said. “I thought it would be nice if he could be the starting member for the second round if it rains. It was not just my opinion.”
The starting lineup for Game 3 and Game of 꽁머니 has not been confirmed yet. However, it is a big plus factor for LG that N.C.E. has taken more rest and started. “N.C.E. has rotated around the rotation on the 3rd or 4th, and he will be able to take enough rest and go out leisurely. It will be effective in terms of recovery,” Yeom said. “There is nothing unreasonable in the bullpen except for Elijah Hernandez. Anyway, since he has a day off, Hernandez has no burden to play two innings. From the manager’s point of view, he may have a more likely option.”
There will be no significant change in the lineup. However, it is unclear whether outfielder Moon Sung-joo, who is in poor physical condition, will play as a starting member. “I excluded (Moon) Sung-joo (from the lineup that I had planned before the cancellation of rain. I was going to substitute Seong-ju because I had a slight hamstring pain, and I was going to deploy (Kim) Beom-seok as No. 9,” Yeom said. “If he says he is not in good condition after checking his physical condition tomorrow, Seong-ju will substitute, and Bum-seok will start.”