'Calm despite 145 mph super-home run' — ERA drops from 8.25 in July to top of wins list: How LG's Lim Chan-kyu revived

*This content was translated by AI.

"(Whenever things start to fall apart) I've noticed that most often it happens when my changeup isn't sharp enough."

He knew his problem precisely. LG Twins veteran Lim Chan-kyu (34), having finally regained his signature changeup, climbed back to the top of the wins list.

On the 18th, Lim started for LG against KT Wiz in a home game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season. He pitched six innings, allowing three hits (one home run), two walks (one hit batter), and striking out three batters while surrendering only one earned run, leading LG to a 9-1 victory.

This marked his third consecutive quality start (six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs). His season ERA has dropped to 4.14, and with 11 wins (four losses), he shares the league lead in wins with Adam Oller of the KIA Tigers.

It was truly a Lim Chan-kyu performance. His fastest pitch reached 145 km/h. He mixed his four-seam fastball (26 pitches), curveball (22), slider (13), and sinker (one) freely around 32 changeups, throwing just 94 pitches over six innings.

Early in the season, the mood was very different. Whenever he left Jamsil, his ERA hovered at 5.10 across 11 games, and even in July, it fluctuated to 8.25 over five games. Lim reflected: "Over the past three years, I thought from spring camp that this season might not be easy. I expected there could be difficulties, and indeed, the early part was quite tough."

He identified the issue in his changeup command. For Lim, the changeup is not just another breaking ball; it is absolutely essential for a pitcher without overpowering velocity exceeding 150 km/h to steal batters' timing and gain favorable counts.

That's why he focused intensely on refining his changeup since camp. "I allowed big innings in one or two games even during the middle of the season," Lim said. "Most of those happened when my changeup wasn't sharp enough. I paid close attention to it from spring camp, and only recently do I feel like I've regained my original feel. That's why my performance has started improving again."

Lim now uses two distinct types of changeups with different characteristics. "I throw one that breaks a lot, and another that stays short like a fastball before dropping sharply to create a tunnel," he explained. "Recently, the results from the short-dropping changeup have been better, so I've been relying more on that."

His recent turnaround began with regaining that changeup. The fourth inning of today's game perfectly captured Lim's transformation. He gave up a home run to leadoff hitter Ahn Hyun-min: exit velocity 180.2 km/h, distance 144.6 meters — a massive solo home run that nearly cleared Jamsil Stadium. He then allowed a single to Sam Hilliard into left field.

In the past, this sequence of consecutive hits could have led to a big inning. Lim was aware of this risk. "When I look back at games where I gave up big innings, I see that consecutive hits often started those rallies," he explained. "I'm naturally a pitcher who tries to set a fast tempo and battle quickly. Back then, I held the tempo too long, which likely took away batters' timing."

The outcome was different. He retired Heo Kyung-min with a fly ball to left field, Kim Sang-soo with a ground ball to third base, and Kim Min-hyuk with a ground ball to first base, preventing further runs. His calm demeanor after the home run led to a different result.

Lim smiled and said, "If it was time for me to give up a hit, then I accept that pitchers know the outcome once the ball is hit to the middle of the field, so they don't watch what happens afterward." He added calmly, "I'm not a pitcher who throws hard, so I believe I must win the count battle."

Even as a veteran, he continues learning. He consistently asks questions to Carlos Carrasco (39), a 39-year-old pitcher with 112 career MLB wins who joined LG this year. "Carrasco definitely knows how to pitch because he's thrown over 100 wins in the big leagues," Lim said. "He has a clear understanding of when and where to throw." He added, "I've asked him many questions about how he approaches borderline pitches like bound balls or changeups that barely miss the strike zone. There are parts that fit my style, so I'm learning a lot from him."

This is also why he seeks external analysis of his own performance. Recently, it became a topic of discussion when he commented on a baseball YouTube channel asking for an analysis of his pitching footage. "Everyone has different perspectives," Lim said. "I always stay open-minded and carefully consider various opinions."

Thanks to his resilience, third-place LG narrowed the gap with the division leaders. On the same day, second-place Samsung Lions suffered a comeback loss against SSG Landers, reducing the gap to 4.5 games behind first place. The distance from first-place KT is now 5.5 games. Overcoming a season series disadvantage against KT (four wins, nine losses) and their recent four-game losing streak made this achievement even more meaningful.

Lim said, "We all knew we had lost many games to KT, so the players united with the mindset that we must beat them. We treated every out count as precious during the game, and it led to good results." He expressed gratitude: "I'm truly thankful to Jung Bin for hitting that bases-loaded home run. I expected a tight game against the first-place team, and indeed it was tense, but Jung Bin's one swing opened up our breathing room."

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*This content was translated by AI.