ERA 0.73. Ace mode in the second half is in operation. I was the worst candidate in the first half of next year's opening game. In the second half of the year, I'm the best
Jul 25, 2025
|
|
|
LG Twins left-handed ace Son Joo-young led the KIA Tigers to a sweep and four consecutive wins with no runs.
Son Joo-young started in an away game against the KIA Tigers at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 24th and recorded three hits, two walks, and five strikeouts in six ⅓ innings. KIA's 'Great Pitcher' Yang Hyun-jong recorded six scoreless innings, so the showdown between the starting pitchers was a draw. The season's 8-6 record remains the same, and the ERA improved from 3.98 to 3.73.
Although he was replaced in a 0-0 situation and did not become a winning pitcher, he threw as many innings as possible at a time when three must-win pitchers, including Yoo Young-chan, Kim Jin-sung and Jang Hyun-sik, were unable to take the mound, creating a chance for LG to win.
After recording his eighth win of the season with seven hits and one run in six innings against Lotte in Jamsil on the 18th, his first appearance in the second half, he also pitched well in his second appearance. In two appearances in the second half, he had a 1 win and no loss with a 0.73 ERA, showing a good start to the second half.
After receiving a heavy hit by the first-runner Park Chan-ho in the bottom of the first inning, he gave up only two walks and did not allow any hits until the bottom of the sixth inning. The end of the third inning is the first crisis. He gave up a walk to leadoff Kim Ho-ryeong and caught Park Chan-ho with a shortstop line drive, but shortstop Koo Bon-hyuk's throw to first base fell back and became a one-out second base. However, Son Joo-young handled Wisdom with a fly to the center field and Na Sung-beom with a ground ball in front of the first base, allowing no runs to be lost.
A tight fight with Yang 0-0 until the sixth inning. Yang went down in the top of the seventh inning and Sung Young-tak came up, but Son Joo-young also came up in the bottom of the seventh inning. However, he allowed a left-handed hit to the front Kim Sun-bin, struck out Oh Sun-woo, but allowed Han Jun-su to make another left-handed hit and replaced Lee Jung-yong.
In the crisis with one out and runners on the first and second bases, Lee Jung-yong struck out pinch hitters Ko Jong-wook and Kim Ho-ryeong in a row to prevent them from losing points, and LG won 8-0.
|
|
|
Son Joo-young, whom I met after the game, said "Actually, the ball's pitching was better in the first half. But there were a lot of balls then. I got hit while throwing a strike at an unfavorable count. But now, he is throwing aggressively and making a lot of mistakes in the advantageous count."
Then "Today's command wasn't that good, but I felt that the power of the fastball was better than the previous Lotte match, and it was heavy, so I thought I should just use a lot of fastballs today. So I used a lot of fastballs and the defenders helped me a lot."
The match against the last batter Han Jun-su in the bottom of the seventh inning was disappointing. After catching a first-pitch strike with a slider with one out and a runner on the first base, the second pitch threw a curveball toward the center and became a left-handed hit and was replaced by Lee Jung-yong. Son Joo-young said, "I knew Han Jun-su was strong against me, but I tried to lead the double play as much as I could"I grabbed a strike with a first-pitch slider and thought about throwing a fastball or a curveball on the second pitch, but I tried to do it again (with a breaking ball), but I went into the center. I thought I couldn't help it. I was very nervous after going down, but Jung-yong blocked me well. Thank you very much."
"I had the worst performance among the starting pitchers in the first half of the year, so I'm determined to do the best in the second half. I didn't win today, but I'm satisfied that my team won and swept it."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
