The commonality of teams that survive the regular season, which lasts for about six months, is to minimize variables. Any team faces injuries or sluggishness, but in the end, the team that overcomes this will laugh at the end. The concerns of the LG Twins, who are leading the regular season, are in a similar context.
LG coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop emphasized vigilance against injuries from the beginning of the season. At the end of last month, he said, “It’s been okay so far, but if an injury comes out from August, which can be said to be a match, it can be a fatal blow for each team.” It’s not just like that, but it will be the same for all 10 clubs.”
Maybe that’s why, as the ‘place of victory’ approaches, the command tower is reacting more sensitively to the physical condition and condition of the players. Adam Plutko, who achieved double-digit multipliers two years in a row, was no exception.
Plutko was scheduled to pitch as a starting pitcher in Game 10 of the season against Doosan Bears in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 30th, but was unable to pitch due to a cold. At the same time, Choi Won-tae, who was traded from Kiwoom Heroes on the 29th, took on the starting role even before he melted into the new team.
The result was ‘success’. On this day, Choi Won-tae led the team to a 10-0 victory by recording 2 hits, 2 hits, 5 strikeouts and no runs in 6 innings, and he also harvested 7 wins of the season. The prospect of not only achieving a double-digit multiplier for the first time in four years since 2019, but also surpassing 2018 (13 wins) and surpassing the most wins in a single individual season, is cautiously emerging.
Director Yeom Kyung-yeop, who sighed with relief at Choi Won-tae’s joining, expressed strong dissatisfaction with Plutko’s failure to fulfill his role.
Prior to the match against Doosan on the 30th, coach Yeom said, “Now, if you catch a cold, you will be fined heavily. A team can create a crisis, and it can drop a spot in the standings or ruin the season.”
Next, coach Yeom said, “Baseball is something that can ruin a season with one small thing. I’ve seen it countless times, and if Choi Won-tae didn’t come in this current trend, who should go up? Shouldn’t the 2nd team go up?” If you lose and fall into a losing streak, it means that not being able to take care of your body has a huge impact.” It was a very different atmosphere from the previous day when I was talking about Plutco’s rotation adjustment.
As coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop, who had a bitter taste in the second half of the regular season or in the short-term, he knows better than anyone else that now is the most important moment. In addition, Plutko has memories of ruining fall baseball even though he performed outstandingly in the regular season last year. At the end of the season, due to symptoms of back pain, he did not play in real games for nearly a month and prepared for the postseason, only doing bullpen pitching and live pitching.
In the end, the void was fully revealed as performance. Plutko, who started as a starter in the second game of the playoffs against Kiwoom Heroes, failed to live up to expectations with 8 hits and 1 strikeout and 6 runs (4 earned) in 1⅔ innings. After winning the first game, the atmosphere was broken by the defeat in the second game, and LG lost the third and fourth games and was frustrated in advancing to the Korean Series. Looking at the series as a whole, Plutko’s sluggishness split the joys and sorrows of the two teams.꽁머니사이트
Nevertheless, after the season ended, LG recognized the player’s contribution and showed faith by signing a new contract with Plutco. In order to prevent the same thing from happening again this year, the commander’s idea is that we must thoroughly prepare from now on.
The ‘warning message’ was not delivered only to Plutco. Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, “It is not only the responsibility of a professional player to play baseball well. You may think it’s just a light cold, but it can be a crisis for the team.” It sent a strong message,” he said.
Even after finishing the regular season well, he had to kneel in the postseason not once or twice. LG, which failed to make it to the Korean Series at the end of 2002, is more desperate than any other team. Attention is focusing on whether the players will bear the fruit of their efforts while taking care of the outside of the game as the command tower wishes.