Lee Son-ju's three consecutive saves, the awkward truck protest → Did the "creative economy" ultimately only enrich truck owners? Even just hearing Yeom Gal-ryang's explanation would be enough to understand.

*This content was translated by AI.

Recently, some LG Twins fans protested against the pitcher Lee Son-ju's (28) transition to the closer role by staging a truck protest, but the player himself completely erased the justification for the protest with overwhelming performance on the mound. As he continued to perform brilliantly day after day following the role change, there are even mocking remarks that the protest served no practical purpose and only benefited the truck rental companies.

This incident began when some die-hard fans objected to the news of Lee Son-ju's transition to the closer role. They staged a truck protest near Jamsil Stadium, citing reasons such as "opposing the hasty win-now approach that trades the club's future," "who will protect the Twins' future," and "what we want is not just a one-year championship," thereby pressuring the club and coaching staff.

However, it is true that reactions both inside and outside the baseball world were puzzled by the sight of fans mobilizing trucks for collective action regarding strategic choices based on team circumstances during the season and the inherent authority of the field. This was partly because those who claimed to be LG fans appeared to be disrupting a club competing at the top of the standings.

In fact, the role transition was fully understandable if one had simply paid attention to manager Yeom Kyung-yeop's (58) plan and explanation. At a meeting with reporters ahead of the Jamsil Samsung game on the 12th, Manager Yeom announced Lee Son-ju's transition to the closer role, stating, "The closer position is extremely important for operating the season. Looking at KBO League history, dynasty teams all had strong closers. Our club also had a closer named Yoo Young-chan and achieved an eight-game winning streak. We have also discussed this with the player and the club, and it has gone through coaching staff meetings. Ultimately, this is the conclusion reached at the current moment, and we made the final decision today," adding that it was a desperate measure.

After Yoo Young-chan left, if the best-case scenario of Jang Hyun-sik (31) and Ham Deok-ju (31) having performed well in the closer role had occurred, there would have been no problem. However, as the team continued to suffer walk-off defeats, it was essentially dereliction of duty for the person in charge of the coaching staff to simply watch on. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, upon discovering the protest truck on his way to work ahead of the Samsung game on the 14th, did not pretend not to see it but actively explained, urging people to "trust and support the club's decision."

Manager Yeom's calculation to resolve the team's Achilles' heel—the anxiety of the back door—and maximize the team's win rate by utilizing Lee Son-ju, who possesses powerful pitching, perfectly came to fruition. It took just three games to prove that the on-field decision was correct. Lee Son-ju showcased perfect pitching in every game he appeared in after the role change, rendering the very purpose of the protest meaningless.

In the Jamsil Samsung game on the 13th, Lee Son-ju showcased perfect pitching with scoreless performance in his first test after transitioning to the closer role, signaling the start of successful back-door control. There was no wavering in the away game against Incheon SSG on the 15th either. Leveraging his overwhelming pitching, he subdued the SSG lineup and continued his consecutive scoreless streak. In the Incheon SSG game on the 17th, the final game of the weekend series, he neatly finished without allowing any runs, putting a period on "three consecutive perfect games."

As Lee Son-ju quelled the controversy with his performance, even within the LG Twins fanbase, people began to quickly draw a line with those who led the protest, saying, "This is not the opinion of all fans," "Why is the shame ours to bear?" and "Use the money to rent trucks to help the less fortunate." The collective action that ignored the expertise of the field, which knows best the player's physical condition and team circumstances, ultimately came back as a boomerang.

Ultimately, this protest left only a bitter aftertaste without changing the club's operational tone or gaining the sympathy of the majority of fans. In fact, a backlash even occurred. As the player protected the team's victory with consecutive scoreless perfect games day after day, sharp criticism poured out on internet communities and elsewhere, labeling those who led the protest as having "contributed to a creative economy where only money was spent and nothing was gained, ultimately only enriching truck owners." As collective fan actions have become a trend, this is interpreted as evidence that fatigue has reached its peak regarding "show-off fan culture" where people send trucks without distinguishing between legitimate criticism and simple dissatisfaction.

What LG needs now is not the intimidating slogans on trucks, but the genuine support and applause of fans who trust and watch over the team.

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*This content was translated by AI.