"Among the cards we have, this is the most..." Yeom Kyung-yeop, Manager of the LG Twins, deploys his best option against Lotte Giants after a 1-9 defeat; foreign investors take note [Busan On-Site Report]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Desperate times call for desperate measures. The LG Twins have effectively placed their team, which is on the brink of elimination, in the hands of Anders Tolhurst (27), who has struggled to a 7.02 ERA against the Lotte Giants this season.

LG announced its starting lineup for the away game against Lotte in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, scheduled to be held at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on the 10th.

On this day, LG constructed its batting order with Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Austin Dean (designated hitter), Moon Jung-bin (first baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Song Chan-ui (left fielder), Koo Bon-hyeok (shortstop), Lee Ju-heon (catcher), and Shin Min-jae (second baseman). The starting pitcher is Anders Tolhurst.

In response, Lotte set its batting order with Hwang Seong-bin (left fielder), Victor Reyes (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Han Dong-hee (third baseman), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Son Seong-bin (catcher), Yoon Dong-hee (right fielder), and Jang Doo-seong (center fielder). The starting pitcher is Na Gyun-an.

LG Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop (58) stated regarding Tolhurst's start, "Among the cards we have, this is the most..." trailing off, but it was clear that he judged Tolhurst to be the option with the highest probability of victory among those currently available to LG.

Until just one day prior, the dilemma had been deep. Manager Yeom revealed ahead of the game against Lotte on the 9th, "We are diligently considering options one through three with our coaching staff regarding the starter for the 10th. We are assessing the situation day by day with the mindset that we must win every remaining game."

At that time, Tolhurst's start after four days of rest was also cited as one of the options. Tolhurst will return to the pitcher's mound after a four-day break following his performance of five innings and two runs allowed in the game against KIA on the 5th.

Given LG's current situation, there is no room for luxury. After suffering a 1-9 shutout loss to Lotte the previous day, LG's record stands at 77 wins, 1 draw, and 64 losses. On the same day, KIA defeated NC 7-2 to record 77 wins, 2 draws, and 62 losses, widening the gap between the two teams to one game. LG has reached a point where it cannot secure third place on its own even if it wins both of its remaining games.

If LG beats Lotte today and KIA on the 12th, its final record will be 79 wins, 1 draw, and 64 losses, with a winning percentage of .552. However, if KIA defeats SSG today and Lotte on the 11th, it will maintain third place with a record of 79 wins, 2 draws, and 63 losses, and a winning percentage of .556, even if it loses to LG in the final showdown on the 12th. For LG, it must hope that they win both remaining games while KIA loses at least once to either SSG or Lotte.

In particular, today's defeat could be fatal. If LG loses to Lotte and KIA defeats SSG in the game starting at 5:00 p.m., LG's fourth-place finish will be confirmed regardless of the result of the final head-to-head matchup between the two teams on the 12th. The difference between third and fourth place is significant. Third place skips the Wild Card playoff and advances directly to the Junior Playoffs starting on the 17th.

In that desperate situation, Tolhurst was chosen. Entering his second year in the KBO League, Tolhurst has recorded 12 wins and 11 losses with a 4.32 ERA, striking out 126 batters in 158⅓ innings across 29 games this season. Although he achieved double-digit wins, his performance has been inconsistent in the second half of the season, recording 4 wins and 4 losses with a 4.64 ERA in 12 games.

Above all, the fact that the opponent today is Lotte is a concern. Tolhurst has struggled particularly against Lotte this season, appearing in three games with a record of 1 win and 2 losses and a 7.02 ERA. Nevertheless, Manager Yeom chose Tolhurst. This is because if he backs down again after suffering an eight-run blowout loss despite starting Carlos Karasco the previous day, the race for third place could effectively be over. He deployed the card he judged to have the best chance of winning, even at the cost of disrupting the rest intervals of his starting rotation near the end of the season.

The batting order was also arranged optimally considering head-to-head records. Lotte starter Na Gyun-an has recorded 6 wins and 11 losses with a 4.29 ERA, striking out 123 batters in 142⅔ innings across 25 games this season. Against LG, he had a record of 1 win and 1 loss with a 4.74 ERA in three games.

Shin Min-jae, who was left off the starting lineup the previous day, has a .429 batting average (3 hits in 7 at-bats) and an OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) of .929 against Na Gyun-an. Hong Chang-ki was also strong, with 3 hits in 9 at-bats for a .333 batting average. Manager Yeom explained, "(Hong) Chang-ki and (Shin) Min-jae hit well against Na Gyun-an, so we sent them out."

Moon Jung-bin, who recorded the only multi-hit performance for LG the previous day and scored the team's one run with a home run, will again bat in the fourth spot today. Manager Yeom expressed his expectations, stating, "(Moon) Jung-bin is growing significantly."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original