with a crisis as an opportunity. Isn't it better to watch a pitcher than an independent league pitcher who doesn't know who is aiming for two groups with one stone. Taking this opportunity, the Asian Quarter Test...

Apr 21, 2025

Coen Win training as an invited player at Arizona camp in February. Photo courtesy = LG Twins

He's aiming for the effect of two birds with one stone. The LG Twins have hired Australian Koen Win as a short-term replacement for foreign pitcher Eliaser Hernandez, who suffered a thigh injury.

LG officially announced on the 21st that it has signed Win for $11,000 as a substitute for Hernandez.

Win is a familiar name to LG fans. This is because he trained at LG during the Arizona camp in February.

He was also selected for the Australian national team in the Premier 12 held in November last year and took the mound against South Korea. LG's general manager Cha Myung-seok, who watched the game at the time, invited him during the spring camp to see his skills in person in consideration of the Asian quarter that will be implemented from next season. Win throws a fast fastball of up to 150km and sprays sliders and changeups.

LG is considering him as a bullpen pitcher, but when Hernandez was injured, he was looking for an alternative pitcher and decided to bring him in at this time to test whether it would work in the KBO League.

He is coached by coach Chris Oxspring, who played in the KBO League as the main starting pitcher for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian professional baseball league. In the 2024-2025 season, he pitched in 15 games and played 38 ⅓ innings, recording 3 wins, 2 losses and a 2.35 ERA. According to LG, Win said he has maintained his sense of play by playing in real games until recently, so he is expected to be able to take the mound immediately.

I don't think he knew that the player he invited to the camp to prepare for the Asian quarter would be used like this. Indeed, it has become ubiquitous.

Cha said, `It is not easy to find a pitcher who will only use that period because it only takes about six weeks. Is it easy to bring in a pitcher who works in our league. "And who would come to throw for such a short period of time?" he said. "I decided that it would be better to bring the pitcher we saw for a test because I'm thinking about the Asian quarter." The assessment is that it wasn't bad in Arizona. Cha said "I had a good tendency and I got along well with my team members. I was evaluated as good with the ball"Since we're going to use Hernandez anyway, we decided that it's best to bring a confirmed pitcher instead of bringing a pitcher who plays in an independent league that we don't know."

A game between the LG Twins and the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium on the 15th. LG Hernandez is pitching hard. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.04.15/

A game between the LG Twins and the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium on the 15th. LG Hernandez is catching his breath. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.04.15/

A game between the LG Twins and the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium on the 15th. Winning LG Hernandez is delighted. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.04.15/

Hernandez recorded a no-hit, no-hitter in six innings against the Samsung Lions in Jamsil on the 15th, but was excluded from the first-team entry the next day. The reason was a thigh injury. Hernandez, who had a perfect march to two outs in the top of the sixth inning at the time, threw a hit ball to No. 9 Lee Jae-hyun, so the perfect was canceled. There was a possibility of a no-hitter as he immediately hit No. 1 Kim Sung-yoon. However, 79 pitches were also replaced by Kim Jin-sung in the top of the seventh inning, raising doubts, and LG said, `We replaced Hernandez as a protective measure because he showed signs of clumping in his right front thigh.'

Hernandez said in a post-match interview that he felt uncomfortable on his thigh side from about the fourth inning, so he was replaced after the sixth inning. The training coaches gave me a massage and I think it's okay after that. I hope it's not a big injury"I was disappointed when I came down, but I think the timing of coming down was right because the first thing to do is to be healthy."

However, the next day, a thorough examination revealed the injury. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said "I heard that his thigh muscles were torn about 2.2cm. "It takes about six weeks to return to the game." He said, "I accurately grasped the reason through analysis with coach Kim Kwang-sam, and I trained him to set the point. There was a situation where I could continue to go well in the future, but unfortunately, I got injured", showing great regret.

While Hernandez is out, Coen Win, a candidate for next year's Asian quarter, will play. If Win shows a good performance, LG will have the effect of making the crisis an opportunity to prevent Hernandez's absence and confirm the Asian quarter next season in advance.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.