'Fail-Fail-Win-Fail-Fail-Fail → ERA 5.63 since June' LG Twins' foreign pitcher situation looks precarious... "We can replace him anytime," warns the manager

*This content was translated by AI.

LG Twins foreign pitcher Anders Tolhurst (27) continues to struggle without showing signs of recovery.

On the 16th, LG lost in a comeback defeat to KT Wiz with a score of 3-4 at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium during their 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular-season home game. As a result, second-place LG (52 wins, 34 losses) now trails third-place KT (47 wins, 1 tie, 35 losses) by 2.5 games.

Both pitching and hitting fell just short. Although the LG lineup recorded one more hit than KT with a total of nine hits, they showed frustration in scoring situations. In the bottom of the third inning with two outs and bases loaded, Moon Bo-kyung grounded out to the shortstop after a full count. In the bottom of the seventh with two outs and runners on first and third, Austin Dean was retired on a ground ball to the third baseman.

They were also outmatched in the starting pitcher duel. LG's Anders Tolhurst pitched six innings, allowing seven hits (one home run), issuing two walks, striking out four batters, and giving up four earned runs, marking his eighth loss of the season (with eight wins). In contrast, KT's Logan Allen pitched five innings, allowing five hits (one home run), issuing one walk, striking out seven batters, and giving up only one earned run, successfully holding the lead.

Tolhurst struggled with off-target pitches at critical moments. On this day, Tolhurst threw a total of 97 pitches: 47 fastballs, 24 cutters, 17 curveballs, and 9 forkballs. His fastest fastball reached 152 km/h.

However, in the top of the second inning with one out and a runner on first, he threw a hanbok-style fastball to Bae Jeong-dae, allowing a double down the left-field line and creating a crisis. The tying run-scoring hit by Han Seung-taek also came from a curveball that failed to drop outside the zone. The first-pitch cutter that gave up a go-ahead three-run home run to Choi Won-jun flew too comfortably inside the strike zone.

All hits allowed to Tolhurst on this day were off-target pitches. While he induced ground balls with pitches on the edges of the strike zone against many batters, it was difficult to get out KT's hitters who possess strong contact skills.

Ultimately, he failed to meet expectations as an ace. Since June, Tolhurst has been in severe slump with a record of 1 win and 5 losses in seven games, posting an ERA of 5.63. The pattern of collapse is also similar. When facing teams that focus on making contact, he often fails to hold them off and collapses.

This is vastly different from last year when he led LG to a championship title and was called the "championship contractor." Last season, Tolhurst was brought in as a replacement player mid-season, recording 6 wins and 2 losses in eight games with an ERA of 2.86, pitching 44 innings and striking out 45 batters.

Before the game, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop explained Tolhurst's struggles this year: "This is his first time starting as a full-time starter from the beginning, so it can be difficult. Foreign players are in a position where they must prove themselves with results, and I believe he has fully understood that, so we expect him to become mentally stronger."

The problem is that LG does not have the luxury of simply waiting for a rebound. This year, both LG's pitching and hitting have shown instability. Aside from foreign hitter Austin Dean (33), there are no players who can be reliably counted on.

Foreign pitchers are a prime example. Yoni Chirinos (33), one of the foreign investors in last year's championship team, has already been released due to poor performance. Relief pitcher Yasel Rios (33), carefully selected from a depleted market for foreign players, has also been ineffective with a record of 1 win and 2 losses in 13 games, recording five holds, two saves, and an ERA of 3.86.

Manager Yeom stated firmly: "When we replaced Chirinos, if there had been a starting pitcher available, we would have naturally used him. No team wants to use a foreign pitcher for just one inning. However, we thought the period would be long and (there were) no suitable players, so we brought in Rios. And through that choice, we prevented bullpen overload and secured nearly five additional wins."

He continued: "Our pitching staff is not strong enough, so there was a very high probability of overload. We decided to definitely secure games we could win, while also believing that preventing bullpen overload would determine the second-half outcome. If a starting pitcher emerges, we can replace him anytime. For now, we use them, and if a good pitcher comes along, we will bring him in. We haven't used all our substitution cards yet; that option remains open."

The registration deadline for foreign players to be used in the postseason is August 15. With about a month remaining, each KBO League team is deeply concerned about their foreign player composition. The managers have set their criteria not on position, but on how much help they can provide to the team.

Manager Yeom emphasized: "Bringing in a pitcher who cannot last six innings and failing would be meaningless. The first priority is whether the team wins when he is brought in and how effective he is for operating the season. Whether he is a starter or reliever does not matter. Using important players is our role and key point."

This was an explanation of why they brought in Rios, a relief pitcher, rather than a starting pitcher. However, unless Tolhurst continues to show improvement, he cannot remain free from being considered for replacement.

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*This content was translated by AI.