The LG Twins has now produced a major leaguer as well. Ko Woo-suk, the top closer, joined the San Diego Padres through posting. For two years, 4.5 million dollars has a mutual option at stake in 2026. It is a welcoming news to LG as they have won the title in 29 years and created a major leaguer. However, the joy is brief. There is no closer who makes 40 saves. It should be seen as a huge negative factor in his performance. The red light has turned on for the second consecutive win in the Korean Series.

The cause of LG’s victory in 2023 was the strong bullpen. Although LG had weak starting pitchers in Korea, it was strong behind the bullpen, which includes Kim Jin-seong, Ham Deok-ju, Jung Woo-yeong, Baek Seung-hyeon, Yoo Young-chan, Park Myung-geun, Lee Woo-chan and Choi Dong-hwan. And the bullpen session was completed thanks to top closer Ko Woo-seok. Ko took the mound in 44 games due to neck injury during the WBC and back injury during the season, and only had three wins, eight losses, 15 saves and an earned run average of 3.68. Still, LG was able to hold on because of Ko. He made 42 saves in the 2022 season. If he remained with LG this season instead of going to the Major League this year and prepared well for the season, he could have expected more than 40 saves.

LG has no more Ko Woo-suk. We need to find a new finish. There is a big difference between a team with a solid finish and a team without a solid finish. If the ninth inning is unstable, the entire game becomes unstable and the entire season is shaken. As the finish line disappeared, some predicted that LG might participate in the FA market. Kim Jae-yoon transferred to the Samsung Lions, but closer pitchers such as Oh Seung-hwan and Lim Chang-min have not signed yet. Both are Grade C, so there are no compensation players. 메이저 토토사이트

However, LG still had no intention to open its doors to the FA market. “I have no interest in recruiting external FA players,” LG’s general manager Cha Myung-seok said. “The coach will decide who will finish the game.” If Ko goes to the Major League, LG’s manager Yeom Kyung-yeop pointed out Yoo Young-chan, who pitched well in the Korean Series, as the new closing candidate. Yoo Young-chan, who joined LG in 2020 ranked 43rd in the second round of 5th round after graduating from Bae Myung-go and Konkuk University, joined the main league for the first time last year and secured a place in the must-win group.

In 67 games, he had six wins, three losses, one save, 12 holds, and an ERA of 3.44. He showed strong commitment in the Korean Series, demonstrating his potential as a closing pitcher. In the second ⅓ of Game 2 on November 8, he pitched an iron wall, allowing no hits, two strikeouts, and no runs, to help his team come from behind, and in Game 3 on November 10, he recorded a hold by allowing one hit, one walk, two strikeouts, and two runs during two innings.

He allowed two hits, two strikeouts, and one run during the first ⅔ of Game 5 on Sunday, and allowed three hits and one run in six innings in three Korean Series games. Yeom had chosen Park Dong-won and Yoo Young-chan as his own money when he decided to select the “Acha Award” and give 10 million won in prize money, excluding the MVP of the Korean Series.

It was natural to pick Park Dong-won, who hit a come-from-behind home run that changed the course of the second game, but Yoo Young-chan’s pitching was incredible, so Yeom picked two players, so he raised the prize money to 20 million won and gave them 10 million won each. Due to Ko Woo-seok’s sudden transfer, LG suddenly chose a new closing pitcher. Fortunately, there were many good bullpen agents last year, and we were able to find a closing candidate named Yoo Young-chan who pitched in the extreme situation of the Korean Series.