"I really wanted to go into the 9th." 84 pitches, 8 innings pitched → Desperate for a shutout, but Yeom Gak-ryang's conviction: "The season is long." [Jamsil Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"The season is long."

He dominated the Hanwha Eagles lineup. In eight innings, he allowed just one hit. However, it was not Lachlan Wells (29, LG Twins) but closer Yoo Young-chan (29) who took the mound in the top of the 9th.

Wells started the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 22nd, throwing 84 pitches over eight innings to deliver a scoreless performance with one hit, one walk, and seven strikeouts.

Taking an early lead thanks to Song Chan-hee's go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the 2nd, Wells secured his second win of the season (1 loss) with a clean finish by Yoo Young-chan in the bottom of the 9th. His season ERA dropped from 2.12 to 1.44.

No one expected the pitcher acquired for the Asian quota at a cost of $200,000 (approximately 295 million won) before the season to perform this well. With a dazzling starting rotation featuring two foreign pitchers followed by Im Chan-kyu, Son Ju-young, and Song Seung-gi, Wells' spot seemed unnecessary.

Son Ju-young's injury led to Wells temporarily joining the starting rotation, where he has been performing as a powerful one-two punch alongside Song Seung-gi.

His pitching performance today was the most dazzling not only during his time as a short-term replacement foreign pitcher for Kiwoom Heroes last year but also throughout his entire career.

Wells started aggressively from the 1st inning, retiring the side in order. Except for the 4th, he pitched a perfect game. In the 4th, he allowed a hit to Yonatan Ferrer with one out, then walked Moon Hyun-bin. However, he quickly caught Moon with a sharp pickoff throw and retired Kang Baek-ho with a fly ball to left field to end the inning.

Despite the accumulating fatigue from the pitch count, Wells delivered the most spectacular highlight reel of the game in the top of the 8th. He retired Chae Eun-seong with an outside changeup, struck out pinch-hitter Lee Jin-young with an inside fastball, and retired Kim Tae-yeon with an outside changeup, striking out the side with three consecutive strikeouts.

The most regrettable moment of the day came in the 9th. Just as everyone expected Wells to continue, the pitching coach took the mound, followed by Yoo Young-chan instead of Wells. While Yoo Young-chan recorded his 11th save of the season, securing a stable victory for LG, the scene left a lingering sense of disappointment for those watching.

Wells felt the same way. After the game, Wells told reporters, "I really wanted to go into the 9th. I told Coach Kim Kwang-sam that I wanted to pitch for a shutout because Navy Headquarters has never had one. I could have come back if the score had changed in the bottom of the 8th, but I'm satisfied that I left the game after creating a situation where the team could win."

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop fully understood Wells' feelings but advised against it with a broader perspective in mind. After the game, Manager Yeom said, "He wanted to keep pitching, but we substituted him to avoid overexertion. I told him that the season is still long and far from over. Even though he threw 80 pitches, I persuaded him that it was equivalent to throwing 100 pitches in terms of damage."

There are many cases of pitchers who suffered from fatigue after chasing records like perfect games, no-hitters, or shutouts, leading to increased pitch counts. Manager Yeom has warned about this issue on several occasions before. He knows better than anyone that following the natural order is crucial.

However, Wells' pitch count was surprisingly low. His pace averaged just 10.5 pitches per inning, and mathematically, he could have finished the 9th within 100 pitches.

He threw 41 fastballs, clocking a top speed of 148 km/h today. He also executed a perfect game plan with 23 changeups that stole the timing of right-handed batters, 14 curveballs that moved outside for left-handed batters, and 6 sliders.

Wells delivered a career-best performance. Manager Yeom praised him, saying, "Park Dong-won used all of Wells' pitches appropriately with excellent pitch combinations, and Wells' aggressive pitching led to the best performance of the season, securing the victory." Since it was a perfect 100-point game, the fact that he was denied the chance to finish the game himself left a lingering sense of regret.

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*This content was translated by AI.