LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop looked up at the sky before the match against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil on Wednesday. The sky was full of dark clouds. LG won the match against the Lotte Giants 9-6 after a fierce battle for four hours and 46 minutes at Sajik Stadium on Saturday. Despite the upward trajectory after winning seven consecutive games, the team arrived at Jamsil Baseball Stadium at around 5 a.m. on Wednesday despite the busy schedule after the game. Perhaps considering players' fatigue, the team conducted training freely on the day.
Has Yeom's wind hit the sky? Heavy rain accompanied by gusts of wind began around 4:10 p.m. Even though the ground maintenance team rushed to move, it rained too much in such a short time that the infield was completely flooded. The maintenance team managed to cover only the mound and home plate with tarpaulin. Gyeonggi Province Superintendent Kim Si-jin continued to monitor the flooded ground. Eventually, Superintendent Kim Si-jin decided to cancel the rain at 4:40 p.m.
LG's starting lineup is Hong Chang-ki (right wing), Oh Ji-hwan (striker), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Moon Bo-kyung (third baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Park Hae-min (center fielder), Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Kim Bum-seok (first baseman), and Ham Chang-gun (left wing). The starting pitcher is Lim Chan-kyu.
Austin Dean, a foreign hitter, was excluded from the lineup after colliding with catcher Park Dong-won during the defense against Lotte on Saturday. Currently, he is undergoing physical examination to check the exact condition.
"I heard Austin's knee hurts a little bit because he got hit," Yeom said. " (Park) Dong-won needs to hurt more (laughs). We have to wait and see (how long we have to rest). If he says he's okay, he can run."
Choi Won-tae, who was the starting pitcher against Lotte on the 25th, will prepare to take the mound against Hanwha in Jamsil on the 28th. He left the mound with a head shot at 13 pitches in the ⅓ innings. Choi had already taken the mound for the first time in 13 days since the match against Hanwha on the 12th, but if he keeps the rotation as it is, the rest will be too long.
As the match was canceled due to rain, various situations must be considered, but chances are high that Choi will play in the match on Friday. "I prefer (Son) Joo-young to (Choi) Won-tae. I think it would be good if Joo-young goes out on Tuesday and enters the game twice next week, and I think we should consider various factors to make a decision," Yeom said. "Once it rains and takes a rest, the principle I think is to give some rest."
After the decision was made to cancel the rain, the LG Twins announced Monday that Lim Chan-kyu would be their starting pitcher. Lim Chan-kyu got one more day off.
Meanwhile, the Hanwha team visited the stadium early on the day for training as the match against the Samsung Lions was canceled due to rain on Saturday. Coach Kim Kyung-moon said, "I tried to watch the players' training while watching the batting cage installed, but now the team has withdrawn due to sudden rain.
As the game was canceled on the 25th, Hanwha decided to send starting pitcher Moon Dong-ju to the game on the 26th. Moon struggled in 13 games in the first half with 3-6 losses, 66 ⅓ innings and a 6.92 ERA, but he has a good pace with 1-1 losses, 12 innings and a 3.00 ERA in two games in the second half. 안전놀이터
As the game was canceled due to rain, Hanwha changed its starting rotation. Alternative foreign pitcher Ryan Weiss will start on the 27th in time for the rotation, and Moon Dong-ju will prepare to take the mound on the 28th.