As the season progresses, plans tend to go a little awry, and it is bound to be difficult for any team to achieve 100% satisfaction. The same goes for the LG Twins, which reduced the magic number to ‘6’.
As of the 29th, LG is maintaining its dominance with 80 wins, 2 draws, and 50 losses (0.615). Unless there are any surprises, it is expected that direct advancement to the Korean Series will be confirmed by erasing all remaining magic numbers in early October. LG’s last entry into the Korean series was in 2002.
Among the 10 teams, they showed off the most stable performance from the beginning of the season and did not fall into a long losing streak. The emergence of a player who could solve the team’s concerns even in a big or small crisis or a power vacuum also contributed greatly to LG’s upward trend. Although there are still negative factors, such as Adam Plutko, who left due to injury, still unable to return, LG, with the combined efforts of the players and coaching staff, is moving forward step by step toward its goal.
LG coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said before the 11th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League season against Doosan in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 28th, “I think about 70% of what I thought was implemented this season. I think 70% is a huge success.” “Even if it’s only 50% of what I thought, it’s a success,” he said, reflecting on the 2023 season.
Director Yeom continued, “(Out of 50%), we were lucky to add 20%. That’s because Yoo Young-chan, Park Myung-geun, Baek Seung-hyun, and Ham Deok-ju, as well as Shin Min-jae, all went as expected. All five of them did well. That’s what we talked about during the camp. “It’s done,” he said with satisfaction. In fact, LG, which had a gap in second baseman every year, found a breakthrough with its faith in Shin Min-jae, and established a new sure-to-win team by giving opportunities to young pitchers when the existing sure-to-win team, including Ko Woo-seok and Jung Woo-young, were struggling.먹튀검증
However, if there is one area that the head coach is dissatisfied with, it is the depth of the fielding staff. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop believes that, with the exception of Shin Min-jae, the fielders who had been highly anticipated by the team ahead of the opening of the season showed poor performance, and thus the dependence on the starting fielder was bound to increase.
Coach Yeom said, “The part that failed in the end was that the three players, Song Chan-eui, Lee Jae-won, and Son Ho-young, could not step up, so the depth of the fielders was too weak. (In reality) I think we were able to survive with just Kim Min-seong.” He added, “The media and other teams said that our team’s depth was very good. As I said, in fact, this year’s regular season was played with 10 players. There were no pinch hitters (who could be utilized). Because they had to keep playing, we couldn’t give them a break during the game, and we ended up giving those players a lot of rest for training. “He expressed regret.
He also said, “I worked very hard with the training department to give the team a break and run the team without injuries. In the end, giving the fielders a break in training allowed them to play without major injuries, and I am grateful to the training department.” He added, “If there was a major injury to the fielders, “The team must have been shaken. Isn’t the main fielder missing for a long time? (For example) If Hong Chang-ki misses a month or two, wouldn’t it be a fatal blow to the team? It’s important to finish the 144 games until the end without any major injuries,” he added.
Of course, it is true that opportunities were given to young fielders, including Lee Jae-won, throughout the season, but it was difficult to find a player who showed consistent performance throughout the season. However, it was not realistically easy to gain experience while drastically changing the lineup when the competition for rankings was in full swing.
Coach Yeom said, “What is important is how much we can develop the three fielders (Lee Jae-won, Son Ho-young, and Song Chan-eui) next year as well as Kim Beom-seok (who was a rookie this year),” and added, “A veteran who can be used as a hidden card in the second draft (to be held after the season).” He also mentioned the importance of reinforcing off-season strategies, saying, “We will have to find the best.”
In the end, the goal of LG and the head coach is not to ‘sparkle’ in one season, but to be able to demonstrate its power as a strong team for a long period of time. This is also the reason why many teams in the league have not been able to maintain a ‘long-term reign’ even after winning the Korean Series since the mid-2010s. LG, which has observed this, is determined not to follow the same path.