'Wells ineligible for 9th appearance!' Yeom Kyung-yeop's principle: "A manager must always consider the worst-case scenario. I've seen many seasons ruined by such decisions." [Jamsil on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

In the top of the 9th inning with the team leading 3-0, starting pitcher Lachlan Wells (29, LG Twins) had thrown only 84 pitches. However, it was not Wells but Yoo Young-chan who took the mound to finish the game.

Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), manager of the LG Twins, met with reporters ahead of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League home game against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 23rd. He said, "Having served as both manager and general manager for about 10 years, I've always had difficult seasons when I didn't follow the manual. I've reviewed and reorganized the manual during the break, and since 2023, I've made it a rule to follow it about 80% of the time. Every Monday, I read through a large portion of it."

Following the previous day's game, Manager Yeom explained, "Wells wanted to continue pitching, but I substituted him to avoid overexertion. I told him that the season is still long and has much ahead. Although he threw 80 pitches, it's equivalent to the damage of throwing 100."

His words proved true. Manager Yeom, who reviews the manual he personally writes every Monday as a routine, stated, "Since Wells is scheduled to appear in the 2nd inning next week, I believed he should not be pushed too hard."

Another reason was, "When we first selected Wells, both the team's analysis staff and the scouts told us that his run rate becomes very high after 80 pitches, so we needed to address that. Therefore, I also spoke to Wells and held a meeting with (Park) Dong-won, agreeing that we must change his pitch mix after 80 pitches."

He continued, "In a situation like yesterday's, there was an 80% chance Wells could have held the line even if he had stayed in. It would have been acceptable to let him go. However, he had already exceeded the first condition. The most important factor was that if Yoo Young-chan entered, the probability of him holding the line was over 95%. He was in a state with absolutely no overload."

Avoiding the worst-case scenario was the top priority. Manager Yeom said, "The first goal was to finish the game cleanly. From a manager's perspective, one must always consider the worst. If Wells had been brought in and the bases became loaded with two outs, could we have then substituted him? He was brought in for a potential no-hitter. If that's the case, we would have had to leave him in even with bases loaded and two outs. If he then allowed a hit, and Yoo Young-chan was brought in and also allowed a hit, resulting in a tying run, who would take responsibility?"

This was also one of the reasons Manager Yeom established principles and created the manual. He stated, "I've seen countless instances where a single poorly managed game ruined an entire season. Such cases are extensively documented in my manual. Therefore, I cannot think only about Wells. While it's good for Wells and good for the team, I must make the choice and the manager must bear the responsibility. I made that choice and do not believe it was wrong at all."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.