“Now we have to treat him as the number one starter in the country.”

This was what LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said when the story about Lim Chan-gyu (LG Twins) came up in the middle of the season.

Lim Chan-gyu will take the mound as LG’s starting pitcher in Game 3 of the 2023 KBO Korean Series against KT Wiz held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 10th.

Lim Chan-gyu had a meaningful year this season. Until last year, he had 51 wins, 69 losses, and an average ERA of 4.80 in 275 games (158 starts), and although his wealth of experience was considered a strength, he was never a pitcher who could be trusted.

In particular, Lim Chan-gyu has suffered from bad luck and poor performance over the past two years. He appeared in 17 games in the 2021 season, but did not receive scoring support, resulting in only 1 win, 8 losses, and an ERA of 3.87. He then appeared in 30 games in the 2022 season, but had to accept an unsatisfactory report card of 6 wins, 11 losses, and an ERA of 5.04. Because of this, Lim Chan-gyu did not even exercise the free agent (FA) rights he received for the first time after his debut and chose to reapply for a year.

However, Lim Chan-gyu made a spectacular comeback this year. Although he started the season with long relief, he settled into the starting lineup with a series of good pitches and played the role of the country’s first starter well. His performance this season was 14 wins, 3 losses, 1 hold, and an ERA of 3.42 in 30 games (144.2 innings).

It was a meaningful report card in many ways. The 14 wins are Chan-gyu Lim’s record for most wins in a season, exceeding 11 wins in the 2018 season. It has been three years since 2020 (147.2 innings) that the regulation innings (144 innings) were completed.

Lim Chan-gyu’s propaganda was guided by the command tower. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, who has taken over LG’s leadership since the end of last year, emphasized to Lim Chan-gyu in a meeting that he should give up his greed for speed and the importance of breaking balls and accurate ball control. As soon as I stopped thinking about increasing velocity, the ball actually became faster, and my control and breaking ball became much sharper. 바카라사이트닷컴

The head coach also continued to show his faith. Director Yeom, whom we met last June, said, “I plan to trust Lim Chan-gyu more from now on. “He will be treated like a domestic ace,” he said, instilling a sense of responsibility. In addition to his own efforts to manage his mental health, Lim Chan-gyu has become a pitcher who has grown to the next level.

With Lim Chan-gyu at the forefront, LG was able to run a stable race throughout the regular season despite the weakness of the starting lineup. Casey Kelly performed poorly in the first half, and Adam Plutko was out of action in the second half. Choi Won-tae, who joined through a mid-season trade, suffered from ups and downs, but Lim Chan-gyu consistently maintained the starting rotation. As a result, LG recorded 86 wins, 2 draws, and 56 losses, and was able to stand at the top of the regular league for the first time in 29 years since 1994.

And Lim Chan-gyu will now start in Game 3 of the Korean Series, which can be said to be the most important game of the year. This year, he faced KT 4 times and did not do well with 1 win, 1 loss, 1 hold, and an average ERA of 6.61 (16.1 innings, 14 runs, 12 innings), but he got enough rest after the end of the regular season, so he can expect good pitching.

LG is also desperate for Lim Chan-gyu to have a good performance. LG, which is aiming for its first combined championship in 29 years since 1994, is currently facing KT with a series record of 1 win and 1 loss. If Lim Chan-gyu wins today with a good pitch, he has an 85% (17/20) chance of winning.

‘Ellin’ Lim Chan-gyu shed hot tears when LG finished second in the 2002 Korean Series. Now, 21 years later, he has already stood tall as a native ace representing LG. Attention is being paid to whether Lim Chan-gyu can lead LG to an advantageous position in winning the Korean Series with good pitching.

Meanwhile, in response to this, KT will start left-handed foreign pitcher Wes Benjamin, who has 15 wins, 6 losses, and an average ERA of 3.54 in 29 games (160 innings) this season. He faced LG five times this year and showed a salty performance with 4 wins, no losses, and an ERA of 0.84 (9 runs, 3 earned runs in 32.1 innings).