Will LG become the biggest beneficiary of the "heatwave brake"? The monster who achieved a "KBO 21-out perfect game" may now be able to make two appearances per week.

*This content was translated by AI.

Baseball is often described as a game of momentum. There is momentum in every inning and every game, and this flow persists throughout the entire season, week by week and month by month.

In that sense, it is highly likely that this heatwave break will have a positive effect on the LG Twins.

There is a reason. Recently, LG's momentum has been poor. They wavered from the start of the second half. It was painful to begin by losing all four home games against KT Wiz. Following that, they also lost both home games against NC, falling into a seven-game losing streak.

It did not end there. On July 24, they suffered a 4-8 loss in an away game against the Hanwha Eagles, falling into an eight-game losing streak. They barely snapped the streak with a 15-11 victory over Hanwha on the 25th, but were soundly defeated again the following day, the 26th, by a score of 4-14.

Facing a difficult flow, the opponent was the Kiwoom Heroes. With this series, LG concluded with two wins and one loss, finally drawing a sigh of relief.

The team they faced over the weekend was their same-roof rival, the Doosan Bears. Prior to this series, LG held a 7-2 advantage in head-to-head matchups against Doosan this season. However, this time around, LG failed to win a single game, concluding the three-game series with one draw and two losses against Doosan. Notably, starting catcher Park Dong-won was sidelined throughout the entire three-game series due to an ankle injury.

After a day of rest on Monday (the 3rd), LG also lost to the SSG Landers in an away game on the following day, the 4th, falling 8-10 after a comeback attempt. This was the first time this season that LG has lost to SSG.

It is no exaggeration to say that this has been an unfavorable trend for LG recently. The gap with the fourth-place Doosan Bears has narrowed to just 1.5 games, putting LG in a chasing position. However, amidst this poor performance, the KBO League came to a halt due to an unexpected heatwave. For LG, this provided a precious opportunity to break its unfavorable streak, catch its breath, and potentially shift the momentum.

LG, having earned a six-day break from the 5th to the 10th, will face Kiwoom in three midweek games starting on the 11th at Gocheok Sky Dome, before returning to Jamsil over the weekend to take on SSG. This season, LG holds a significant advantage in head-to-head records: an 8-4 record against Kiwoom and an 8-1 record against SSG.

LG aims to maintain third place and further re-enter the race for the top spot. The key player is newly acquired foreign pitcher Carlos Karaskoda.

KARA S-co made his KBO debut on the 1st at Jamsil Stadium, starting against Doosan. The result was a perfect performance: seven innings with 21 outs recorded and no baserunners allowed, accompanied by two strikeouts. It was truly a flawless debut. At that time, KARA S-co threw a total of 74 pitches. His fastball reached a top speed of 149 km/h. He threw 48 strikes and 26 balls, mixing in five fastballs, 17 sinkers, 18 sliders, 15 cutters, 12 changeups, and seven curveballs.

KARAsko was originally scheduled to take five days off and then face KIA at Jamsil on the 7th. However, due to the heatwave break, LG has also gained a scenario in which KARAsko can appear twice a week. If KARAsko appears twice a week, he is expected to play against Kiwoom at Gocheok on the 11th and then face SSG at Jamsil after four days of rest on the 16th.

Commander Yeom Kyung-yeop of the LG team has pointed to KARA-sco as a pitcher who could change the flow in the second half. He stated, "I think KARA-sco's role will be the most important for a second-half rebound," and added, "If KARA-sco performs steadily, the starting rotation should also stabilize," expressing his expectations. Will LG indeed be able to resume its upward trend starting from the heatwave break?

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*This content was translated by AI.