You're using it, right? First round KS starter Lim Chan-kyu? The head coach didn't even hesitate for a second. The more you analyze it, the more twisted it gets. Like Benjamin...

Jun 15, 2025

The match between Hanwha and LG held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 14th. LG Lim Chan-kyu is pitching as a starter. Daejeon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.06.14/

LG dugout ahead of the Hanwha match at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 14th.

During the briefing on the game, Lim Chan-kyu, who was scheduled to start the game, became a hot topic. The native ace is set to face off against Hanwha ace Cody Ponce.

If the current first and second teams LG and Hanwha compete in the Korean Series this season, will the return match between the two pitchers be made.

The match between Hanwha and LG at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 14th. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop is answering reporters' questions in the dugout. Daejeon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.06.14/

I asked LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop in a hypothetical way. 'If your opponent is Hanwha, would you use Lim Chan-kyu as the starting player for the first round of the Korean Series?'

"Let's write it."

A confident answer comes back without even a second of hesitation. Director Yeom's supplementary explanation that followed.

"If it's this strong, it's shocking, but the timing is not right. That's what comes out on record. You can never ignore it. We didn't get beat by KT Benjamin either. No matter how much I analyze and do, it's not easy. How much analysis would we have done because we wanted to play as well. If I tell a certain pitcher that I'm weak, I keep analyzing it. But in a way, it gets more involved in it. It's more confusing because you think you have more thoughts and you think you need to analyze and play. In a way, we have to go simple."

Prior to this day, Lim Chan-kyu had a 0.56 ERA in two games against Hanwha this season. In the game against Hanwha on March 26, his first appearance of the season, he made his debut shutout with just two hits, two walks, five strikeouts, and no runs in nine innings. The moment he expressed his emotion, saying, "The record I really wanted to do someday." Later, when he met the Hanwha lineup, Lim Chan-kyu turned into a giant.

The match between Hanwha and LG held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 14th. LG starter Lim Chan-kyu, who handles Noh Si-hwan with a ground ball in front of the pitcher in the sixth inning. Daejeon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.06.14/

There was no exception on this day.

As he overcame the crisis at the beginning of the game, the scoreless pitching continued. Like Hanwha's killer, he finished six innings in 89 pitches, giving two hits, four outs, and three strikeouts. The maximum speed was only 141km, but Hanwha hitters couldn't get the timing because of the dancing breaking ball mixed with the change-up curve slider and the empty pitching of the ball control. Despite Ponce's good pitching of one run in six innings, it was possible because of Lim Chan-kyu's good pitching that LG was able to maintain a half-game lead by drawing 2-2 after the extended game.

As a result, Lim Chan-kyu lowered his ERA to 0.41 with just one run in 22 innings against Hanwha this season.

Although he failed to add a win for the third game and remained at eight wins (2 losses) of the season, Lim Chan-kyu lowered his ERA to 2.61, chasing his teammate Song Seung-ki, who is the No. 1 native starter (2.30). At this pace, we cannot rule out the possibility that the selection of the first game of the virtual Korean Series against Hanwha will be the real Lim Chan-kyu.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.