LG Twins pitcher Kim Young-joon took the mound in relief in the second game of the weekend’s three consecutive games against the NC Dinos of the “2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League” held at Jamsil Stadium on the 10th. He helped his team win 9-3 with one hit, two strikeouts, and one walk in the final score of the day.안전놀이터
It was Kim Young-joon who took the mound in a difficult situation. LG took over the baton of starting pitcher Choi Won-tae at the top of the sixth inning with no outs and runners on the first and second bases with a 9-1 lead. The difference was eight points, but I couldn’t be relieved. This is because Kim Jin-sung and Yoo Young-chan were given rest due to consecutive pitching. Yoo Young-chan, who had been pitching consecutively, was able to pitch three consecutive times, but that was the worst situation. It was important for Kim Young-joon to block it as much as possible.
Kim Young-joon handled the first batter Kim Hui-jip with a fly ball to the right field to secure the first out count. Afterwards, he allowed a walk to Park Si-won and loaded the bases with one out, but blocked additional runs by dealing with Chun Jae-hwan and Park Se-hyuk with swing strikeouts. Ahead of the top of the seventh inning, Kim was substituted for relief pitcher Kim Yoo-young to end the game on the day.
He is Kim Young-joon, who has been revitalizing the LG mound recently. He has posted an ERA of 4.50 in 12 games, one win and 14 innings. He is playing his part as a pursuit team with long relief.
Ahead of the final game of the three consecutive weekend games against the NC Dinosaurs on Thursday, Yeom said, “Kim Young-joon was the best pitcher that he could have used yesterday. He was originally the starting pitcher. When the starting pitcher collapsed quickly, long relief is also possible. He is now the No. 1 pitcher in the chasing team.”
Kim Young-joon may not be familiar to LG fans. After graduating from Sunlin Internet High School, Kim joined the LG Twins as the first choice for the 2018 KBO League Rookie Draft. This is his seventh year in the professional league. Along with Kim, Kwak Bin (Doosan Bears) and Ahn Woo-jin (Kium Heroes) were the first players to be nominated by a Seoul-based club. Compared to them, Kim did not have many chances.
However, Kim Young-joon has grown little by little in the 2024 season, and has high expectations from Yeom. He was the last player to take the mound among the first-team pitching players when the first-team call-up was held on June 11. Now he has become the No. 1 player in the chasing team, and he is stepping up step by step to take charge of long relief depending on the situation.
Kim Young-joon became a winning pitcher with three scoreless innings against Jamsil Lotte on June 16, his first appearance of the season, leading LG to a 9-8 victory in the 10th inning of extra time. Afterwards, he said in an interview with Su-hoon, “I just really wanted to die. If we can’t make it to the first team, we (Futures League) have no vision. It’s really very painful, it’s very hard, it’s very boring, but I think we’ve overcome it well.”
As he endured and overcame difficult times, he had nothing to do but see the light of day. In the 2024 season, Kim Young-joon began to flap his wings vigorously.