"Wow!" You're so patient! It's a thin ice lead by one point, but Park Dong-won's "finish it" Mi Ki-yong → Lee Joo-heon's "growing well."

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop's (58) philosophy to foster prospects is unusual. Even in a thin game where one win is urgent, the team is sharpening its future by operating a "strong heart" operation that cares about the main catcher Park Dong-won (36) until the end and entrusts the entire main room to new catcher Lee Joo-heon (23). It has led to eight consecutive wins, and his vision is shining.

LG won 2-1 thanks to Austin Dean's final solo shot in the bottom of the eighth inning in its first showdown of the season against the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League" Lotte Giants at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 14th.

The starting catcher on the day was Lee Joo-heon. In fact, Lee Ju-heon has been close to the catcher in charge of left-hander Song Seung-ki (24) since last season. In the second half of the game, he used a strategy to strengthen his defense by putting Park Dong-won instead of Lee Joo-heon in a tight match between 1 and 2 points. It is also because it is a common operation to protect victory with veteran's skill rather than the spirit of a rookie. In the meantime, Lee Joo-heon has accumulated his experience by taking the opportunity to play 76 games in the 2025 season alone.

Now in the 2026 season, head coach Yeom Kyung-yeop is giving Lee Ju-heon a more advanced role. After taking the lead with Austin's home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, when the score was 1-1 on the 14th, Yeom did not put in Park Dong-won even in a defensive situation in the top of the ninth inning. Park Dong-won, who needed rest, was saved until the end. Park Dong-won seemed to have been considerate as he was suffering from a poor batting average of 0.172 (5 hits in 29 at-bats) in the last 10 games.

At the same time, it is interpreted that Lee Joo-heon has endured the pressure of the one-point thin ice match. In the end, Lee Joo-heon worked with LG closer Yoo Young-chan to prevent Lotte's last-minute offensive without losing a point, tasting the joy of the "full season winning catcher." He even completed the "success experience" of overcoming the crisis of going to first and third bases with two outs. In the end, it is interpreted that it is based on the 'step-by-step success experience', which is the theory of director Yeom Kyung-yeop's development.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop is considered a very meticulous leader in baseball. Ahead of the Lotte match on the 14th, coach Yeom told reporters, "I personally don't like a very long winning streak. If baseball has a winning streak, there is always a losing streak. In particular, long winning streaks overload the players. For example, it's okay to play with a must-win group, but if you lose, the aftermath will definitely come more than that. In the end, he said, "If you run the game with the intention of holding out, it will lead to a long winning streak." In the end, it can be interpreted that Park Dong-won was not appointed as he stuck to his game plan ahead of the game.

Coach Yeom's patience to trust and wait for Lee Joo-heon's 9th episode, although he could have sent Park Dong-won for an immediate victory. That patience is catching both the results of eight consecutive wins and the growth of prospects. LG's future is also growing on the sophisticated design of Yum Liang, which aims for a "sustainable strong team."

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*This content was translated by AI.