*This content was translated by AI.
"I have no intention of returning as a starting pitcher this year. I wanted to convey that to the fans."
A left-handed starting pitcher capable of delivering 10 wins every season was assigned to the unfamiliar role of closer. Concerns among fans grew even larger given his prior injury history.
Son Ju-young (28, LG Twins) was fully aware of the concerns fans had. Nevertheless, he reassured them that their worries were unfounded.
Selected as the second overall pick in the 2017 rookie draft, Son Ju-young joined the LG Twins. He has since emerged as a key starter for the team starting in 2024. He recorded 9 wins in 2024 and 11 wins last year, completing the required innings (144 innings) for two consecutive seasons.
However, ahead of this season, he complained of elbow pain during the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), and just before the season opener, he felt side pain, joining the first-division roster late.
Meanwhile, the starting rotation was finalized. The team secured two foreign pitchers and Asian quota players Lachlan Wells, Lim Chan-kyu, and Song Seung-gi. Meanwhile, regular closer Yoo Young-chan was sidelined due to injury, creating a hole at the back of the bullpen. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop brought out Son Ju-young as the closer card. He appeared in two games, pitching scoreless innings in his first appearance, and on the 13th against the Samsung Lions, he shut down one inning perfectly to secure his first professional save.
Voices of concern arose among fans. Some fans took to Twitter, criticizing the decision as "trading a 10-win left-handed starter for the future" by moving him to the closer role. The concern was that suddenly using Son Ju-young, who had pitched as a starter for two seasons, as a closer could lead to further injuries.
Son Ju-young recalled the autumn playoffs of 2024. As a full-time starter in his debut season, he pitched 28 games and 144⅔ innings, posting a record of 9 wins and 10 losses with an ERA of 3.79. He then played a key role in the postseason. In the semi-playoffs, Son Ju-young, who was waiting in the bullpen, entered after the starting rotation collapsed, pitching 5⅓ innings with 7 strikeouts without allowing a run to earn the win. After two days of rest, he made another relief appearance, pitching two innings to record a hold and lead the team to the playoffs.
In the playoffs, after three days of rest, he started and took the loss, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) in 4⅓ innings. After resting for another three days, he made a relief appearance, allowing 1 run in 1⅔ innings and taking the loss again, leaving a bitter memory. Later, reports emerged that Son Ju-young had an elbow injury, deepening the sense of regret.
I first heard about the closer role on the 8th. Meeting with reporters ahead of the SSG game on the 15th, Son Ju-young said, "The manager asked me after the extra-inning game on Friday (the 8th), 'Would you like to try a save?' It was something I had somewhat expected." He added, "I had no resistance at all."
Instead, he explained, "I had thought a little, 'Maybe I could be a closer' or 'I could go to the high-leverage relief group.' When I first came up, all the starting pitchers were doing so well. There was no spot for me. At that time, I was throwing about 50 pitches in the minor league, but here I had to build up twice, throwing 70, 80, 90 pitches and increasing gradually. Given the team situation, I thought I could really go to the closer role."
There was no burden as great as the fans' worries. Son Ju-young said, "From my personal perspective, I think it would be harder to switch from closer back to starter now. Ahead of the WBC, I threw 2 innings in a practice game, 2 innings in another practice game, 1 inning in a Japan game, 1 inning in an Australia game, and 2 innings in a Kiwoom game before getting injured like this." He continued, "In the minor league, I trained with my senior Bae Jae-jun. I had to get my arm adapted quickly, so my side was healed, but my arm wasn't adapted, so I did catch-and-throw every day. I was pitching hard, resting a day, then pitching again, so I felt like my arm had become a bullpen pitcher's arm."
He continued, "Actually, I got injured while building up as a starter in the Kiwoom game, so starter build-up must be very delicate and careful. After my first save, I thought that if I went back to starting in this situation, my body condition would feel even more unstable. Since I got injured during build-up, I actually thought it turned out well. The manager said, 'Yoo Young-chan will be back, and we don't know what will happen with Ko Woo-seok, so let's just try for one year.' I replied, 'That's fine. It will be fun.'"
Son Ju-young said, "I'm in my third year in the majors, and I pitched well as a starter for two years, but due to an injury in between, I went to and came back from the minor league. That's why I wanted to help the team a lot. The team situation was like that, and even in my opinion, the starting pitchers were formidable. So I thought about the closer role to some extent."
Of course, he understands the fans' worries well. "I will gain a lot of experience. I want to practice my out-pitch more at this time. As the manager said, the out-pitch needs to be good, so this could be a year to sharpen my slider, curveball, and forkball more, or it could be an opportunity to increase my speed even more." He added, "I think positively. I have no plans to return as a starting pitcher this year. That's why I want to tell the fans that."
An opportunity to appear came again today. The team, leading 7-3, allowed an equalizer in the bottom of the 8th when Choi Ji-hoon hit a bases-loaded home run. In the top of the 9th, LG got consecutive hits from Park Hae-min and Shin Min-jae, then Cheon Seong-ho and Hong Chang-gi drew consecutive walks to take the lead again with a bases-loaded walk.
LG's choice in the bottom of the 9th was naturally Son Ju-young. A ground ball hit by pinch-hitter Ahn Sang-hyun resulted in a fielding error by Cheon Seong-ho. Son Ju-young's control wavered, and he walked Park Sung-han.
However, with no outs and runners on first and second, Son Ju-young engaged in a bold duel with Jung Jun-jae and recorded a swinging strikeout. He then got Choi Jeong, the all-time home run leader, on a fly ball to right field and Guillermo Heredia on a grounder to shortstop, ultimately preserving the one-run lead and securing his second save of the season.
In three games over 4 innings, he allowed no runs, maintaining an ERA of 0. His batting average against was 0.200, and his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) was 1.00, demonstrating an intimidating presence.
It was a more difficult situation than when he earned his first save, but after the game, Son Ju-young said, "Even though there was an error, I have a lot of ground ball inductions, so I thought I could just get a double play. That's why I didn't feel that burdened."
Even after securing the team victory, he felt some regret. His arm hadn't loosened quickly due to the pitching two days prior, and he faced difficulties early in the innings. Son Ju-young said, "If my arm adapts a bit faster, I think I'll feel more confident. I need to maintain the same velocity like in the Samsung game, and to do that, I think it will take about a month." He added, "It was also difficult when I started as a starter in 2024. I threw 100 pitches and my arm didn't loosen for five days. After doing that for two or three months, I adapted. I'm receiving treatment diligently and getting massages, so I think I can adapt well this time as well," showing confidence.
Son Ju-young said, "It was thrilling today again. When a crisis came and I stopped it, the fans seemed to like it more, and we could let out a sigh of relief." However, he also vowed, "Still, I think I should stop it cleanly without any runners next time."
He secured the team victory in both save opportunities, signaling a great start. Son Ju-young, who gave himself 80 points as a closer, said, "It's because I didn't have the same velocity as last time. If I had, I think I could give myself 100 points. At that time (Samsung game), I threw after resting for three full days, so my arm felt very light." He smiled and added, "The next goal is to maintain velocity even when pitching on consecutive days. Since I'm only doing this for one year, I'm thinking I'll just have to work hard for 100 games."
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*This content was translated by AI.
