"I want the saves champion title," the rookie elite closer, who delivered a '30 SV dignity' with his indifferent "let it be" pitching style.

*This content was translated by AI.

The left-handed starting pitcher, who had won 11 games and earned a spot on the national team last season, suddenly transformed into a closer. The decision to save the struggling LG Twins turned out to be a 'divine move.' Son Ju-young (28, LG Twins), who started his season late, has now risen to a position where he can challenge for the relief pitching champion title.

On the 20th, in a home game against Hanwha Eagles at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Son Ju-young entered in the top of the 9th inning with his team leading 4-3. He threw 15 pitches over one inning, allowing no hits and no walks while keeping the scoreless, securing his 30th save of the season.

He dominated the Hanwha lineup with three types of pitches: a fastball reaching up to 151 km/h, a curveball with nearly a 30 km/h speed difference, and a cutter that breaks sharply despite showing over a 10 km/h speed difference.

After attending Gyeongnam High School, Son Ju-young was drafted as the second overall pick in the second round of the 2017 draft. He finally established himself as a key starter for his team in 2024, winning 11 games last year and being selected for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team.

Son Ju-young, who had become a left-handed starting pitcher, suddenly changed his role when main closer Yoo Young-chan was ruled out for the season early on. A pitcher to take responsibility for the back door was needed, and Yeom Kyung-yeop manager asked Son Ju-young, who joined after recovering from injury in late April, to take on the closer role. Son Ju-young readily accepted.

As if it were his true calling, he quickly accumulated saves from the start. Although he started his season a month and a half later than his competitors, he secured 5 saves in May and added 9 in June, locking down LG's back door.

In July, the entire team wavered and faced ups and downs, with an ERA of 5.63 causing a slump, but he found stability again in August. In September, with the return of Ko Woo-seok, he added 6 saves in 8 games, reaching the 30th-save milestone.

That is an incredible pace. Although he started much later than others, he has narrowed the gap to just 2 saves behind Kim Jae-yoon (Samsung), who leads this category with 32 saves.

After the game, Son Ju-young said, "Rather than feeling extremely happy, I still feel there are more games left, so I'm not thinking about pain but how I can perform better," while also adding, "I do have a desire to try for 35 saves."

Son Ju-young still draws the line that his closer role is only for this season. He even expressed a wish to win 15 games next year. Nevertheless, he is doing a better job than anyone else in protecting team victories and is not hiding his desire to reach the peak in this field this season.

Son Ju-young pledged, "Since the gap with (Kim Jae-yoon) is now just two saves, I'm starting to get ambitious. Originally, I really had no thoughts because it was a six-save difference. There aren't many games left, and I thought 'I can never catch up,' but now we're only two saves apart. I will work hard."

At the current pace, a comeback seems quite possible. Samsung has managed only 8 wins and 8 losses in September, and during this period Kim Jae-yoon added 3 saves, while Son Ju-young added 6, narrowing the gap instantly. LG is on a seven-game winning streak recently, and with the effect of Ko Woo-seok's arrival, they are not easily giving up leads once secured. With 13 games remaining, there is enough room to aim for a comeback.

However, Son Ju-young quickly changed his words. "Senior Kim Jae-yoon has excellent detailed statistics. Mine are not so good. My WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) is also high," he said, adding, "He is the textbook closer. I think Senior Jae-yoon has much higher potential. He has more experience than me, so I believe he will do a great job."

It cannot be seen as mere excessive modesty. Son Ju-young's batting average against, a key statistic for closers, is 0.209, and his WHIP is 1.34, while Kim Jae-yoon has recorded a batting average against of 0.176 and a WHIP of 1.03.

However, Son Ju-young stands out more in crisis management. While Kim Jae-yoon's batting average against rises to 0.217 with runners in scoring position, Son Ju-young shows the opposite trend, becoming stronger at 0.130. The difference is also seen in home runs allowed: 4 for Kim Jae-yoon and 2 for Son Ju-young. This difference can be represented by an ERA of 3.36 versus 1.77. It cannot be said that Son Ju-young is an inadequate closer.

The secret to achieving such success in his first season as a closer lies in his resilient personality. Son Ju-young explained, "Since the pressure is extremely intense, I think people with personalities that can overcome it well are better suited for this role. It's not just about pitching skills." He added, "I consider myself lucky, but I just thought 'let it be' and threw, so the results seem to come out well."

The gap with second-place Samsung has narrowed to 2 games. There is no room to relax until the end of the season. Son Ju-young said, "Our starting pitchers are too good, Kennedy and (Ko) Woo-seok are doing well, and Senior Kim Kang-ryul is also encouraging us, so it feels completely solid," and added, "We are also thinking 'let's just win all remaining games' and approaching them with that mindset."

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*This content was translated by AI.