The LG Twins will face the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on April 25.
LG is in first place with 65 wins, two ties and 38 losses. They trail second-place KT by 7.5 games.
LG’s starting lineup against NC is Hong Chang-ki (right fielder), Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Austin (designated hitter), Oh Ji-hwan (shortstop), Kim Min-sung (first baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Moon Sung-joo (left fielder), and Park Hae-min (center fielder).
Kim Hyun-soo was named as the first three designated hitters, but he was suddenly removed due to a bad back. Kim Hyun-soo was removed from the lineup the day before and Kim Min-sung was inserted. Kim will play first base, and Austin will be the designated hitter.
Manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said, “Hyun-soo said his back suddenly felt bad, so I told him to rest. He can pinch-hit. It’s better to rest him when it’s a little bit bad and prevent (injuries) in advance. He’ll be much better after a day of rest. It’s unfortunate right now, but it’s much better in the long run,” he said.
Kim singled to shortstop in the fourth inning of the previous day’s game against Jamsil Lotte and sprinted home from first base on Austin’s double to left-center field, scoring the go-ahead run on a head-first slide.
With Kim Hyun-soo out of the lineup, veteran Kim Min-sung will start in his place because of Pedi’s pitching. Yoon said, “I think it’s still a little difficult for Lee Jae-won to hit Pedi. He’s still inexperienced… If you play a player with a high probability of failure, he’ll only experience failure. You need to put a young player against someone who can fight and win.” Not playing Lee Jae-won was a considerate move against the league’s top ace.
The day before, LG’s foreign pitcher Kelly threw six shutout innings against Lotte. “He had a good fastball and a good angle on his changeup, so he didn’t give up any hits,” Yoon said.
Kelly’s changeup had a strikeout rate in the high teens before the game, but he threw eight changeups against Lotte on the 24th and didn’t get a hit.
Yoon said, “Right now, the first thing she’s worried about is her fastball. All her focus is on that. It would be better if he could drop his changeup velocity by 10 kilometers. When the velocity drops, the rotation drops and the angle increases.”메이저놀이터
Kelly threw 85 pitches through six innings before being pulled in the seventh. “I wanted to get him out in good shape. It’s the first no-hitter, and if you bring him up to the seventh inning for nothing and give up one or two runs, it’s not worth it (to throw well earlier),” Yoon said, explaining the quick change.
LG’s starting pitcher for the day was Choi Won-tae. He was acquired from Kiwoom in late July and is 8-5 with a 3.52 ERA this season. It will be Choi’s first time facing NC this season. He was strong against NC last year, going 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA in five games.