“Son Ju-young is showing improvement game by game.”
LG won 2-1 in the second game of a three-game weekend series against the Lotte Giants of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Sajik Stadium on Nov. 11. The win extended their winning streak to four games and clinched the three-game weekend series with Lotte.
Starting pitcher Son Joo-young and catcher Park Dong-won stood out against their “hometown team” Lotte. Son was impressive from the start, shutting down the Lotte bats. The final line was six innings, four hits, seven strikeouts, one walk, and no runs allowed to improve to 2-2 on the season.
Son is now the team’s fifth starter, but his record is one start shy of the top spot. Only Detrick Enns, Casey Kelly, Won-tae Choi, and Chan-kyu Lim have lower ERAs than Son. That makes him the fifth starter like the first.
The LG bullpen behind Son Joo-young was also outstanding on the day, especially closer Yoo Young-chan, who came in with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning and recorded five outs to preserve the win. In the batting lineup, Park Dong-won stood out. He went 3-for-4 with one home run, one RBI, and two runs scored, including a home run in the top of the sixth inning to energize the offense.
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yup said after the game, “Son Joo-young pitched well and gave us something to look forward to as he continues to improve game by game. In a tough situation, the middle pitchers did their job well, especially Yoo Young-chan, who was under a lot of pressure, but he was responsible for five outs and showed that he is solidifying his position as the closer,” said Yoon.
“The good defense of Moon Sung-ju and Hong Chang-ki in the sixth and eighth innings helped us keep the game in our favor. At the plate, Park Dong-won led the entire batting lineup with three hits, and Koo Bon-hyuk was able to make a (buster) run when we needed a lead and set the tone of the game with a game-winning hit,” he said, giving a thumbs-up to the fielding staff.
A sellout crowd of 22,758 fans packed Sajik Stadium on the day, filling the stadium to capacity. Although the home team Lotte had the largest crowd, LG’s traveling fans also came to the stadium to cheer on the players. “Many fans traveled from as far away as Busan 토토사이트 today (Nov. 11), and thanks to their support, we were able to continue our winning streak,” said coach Yeom. We are grateful to them,” he said.
After securing the three-game series over the weekend, LG chose Kang Hyo-jong to make his first start of the season as the starting pitcher on Wednesday. Kang will take the mound in place of Choi Won-tae, who is currently sidelined with left gluteus medius discomfort. His record in the Futures League is 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA in five games and 26 1/3 innings pitched.
Opposing Lotte, like LG, has also announced an alternate starter. Hong Min-ki will get the start. With Lee In-bok struggling in the Futures League, the team turned to Hong to fill the void. Hong has a 5-1 record in the Futures League with a 1.37 ERA in 19⅔ innings pitched.
The final game of the three-game weekend series between LG and Lotte will take place at 2 p.m. on Dec. 12 at Sajik Stadium.