"Son Ju-young Closer Opposition" Truck Protest: Yeom Kyung-yeop "We Are Not a Team Preparing for Next Year"

*This content was translated by AI.

"The club and coaching staff made this decision after extensive deliberation, so we ask fans to trust and support us."

Yeom Kyung-yeop (58), manager of the LG Twins, explained the reasons and sought understanding from some fans who opposed the conversion of left-handed pitcher Son Ju-young (28) to the closer role.

Manager Yeom brought up the "protest truck" issue first during a meeting with reporters ahead of the game against the Samsung Lions held at Seoul Jamsil Stadium on the 14th. He began by saying, "As I was coming to the stadium, I saw a protest truck. I appreciate the great interest in the team, but I feel I need to explain."

On that day, a single truck was parked on the road in front of Jamsil Station, a subway station near Jamsil Baseball Stadium. The electronic scoreboard repeatedly displayed five slogans.

"Opposed to the hasty win-now move of converting Son Ju-young to closer at the expense of LG's future"

"If a 10-win left-handed starter guards the back door, who will guard the Twins' future?"

"Converting a 10-win starter to the bullpen during a starter season? Putting out a fire now by pouring oil on the future"

"A 10-win left-handed starter's move to closer, backed by the future: What we want is not just a one-year championship"

"The mysterious conversion of a 10-win left-handed starter to closer: Does that also solve the 342nd leftover runners?"

This was a protest against the decision to select Son Ju-young as the replacement for closer Yu Young-chan (29), who was sidelined due to a right elbow injury. Only one driver was seen sitting in the truck's driver's seat, so it was impossible to confirm who sent it.

Son Ju-young, who graduated from Gyeongnam High School and was drafted by LG as the second overall pick in the second round of the 2017 draft, recorded 9 wins in 2024 and 11 wins in 2025, emerging as the team's new ace starter. He was selected for the national team at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) last March but could not participate in the regular season opener due to a side injury. He was finally added to the first-division roster on the 9th, pitching 2 scoreless innings against the Hanwha Eagles on opening day and recording his first save with 1 scoreless inning against the Samsung Lions on the 13th.

Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "I believe the fans' concerns are twofold: first, injury risk, and second, why use a future starter as a closer," and proceeded to explain each point.

Regarding injuries, he first stated, "Our team has the best training department, and both the manager and the general manager trust them. We have reviewed the injury concerns and made this decision under the belief that there will be no problems in the future."

He continued, "Second, our club and everyone on the field, just like the fans, consider it crucial to develop (Song) Seung-gi (24) and (Son) Ju-young as the domestic top two starters. However, since (Yu) Young-chan was sidelined due to injury, we have engaged in immense deliberation." He added, "After searching for a player with the conditions to succeed, we found that Ju-young's current situation is best suited for a build-up as a closer rather than a starter. He possesses the best command, mental strength, strikeout ability, and decisive pitches for the closer role. A 30-pitch build-up tailored for the closer position is firmly in place."

He then cited the most important reason: the team's clear goal of "back-to-back championships" this season. Manager Yeom emphasized, "Are we not a team preparing for next season? We started with the goal of a two-peat and gained the fans' approval. However, having issues with the closer is a very significant matter. All teams that have built dynasties in history have possessed reliable save pitchers."

He further stated, "During a season, every team faces crises more than ten times. Nevertheless, we have managed to overcome them well, winning championships twice in three years. We would be grateful if fans could trust and support us a little more."

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*This content was translated by AI.