Seoul: With the LG Twins on the verge of elimination, manager Youm Kyoung-youb announced a strategic shift to employ every available option, including heavy reliance on bullpen ace Elieser Hernandez, in a crucial postseason matchup against the Samsung Lions. The LG Twins, currently trailing 0-2 in the best-of-five Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) series, must win to avoid a sweep and keep their championship hopes alive.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the LG Twins have found themselves in a precarious position after dropping the first two games of the series with significant losses of 10-5 and 10-4. These early deficits in the series prevented Hernandez, a standout reliever, from being utilized effectively to maintain late-game leads. Hernandez, who delivered an impressive 7 1/3 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts over five appearances against the KT Wiz in the prior series, will now be expected to pitch multiple innings right after starter Im Chan-kyu, potentially mirroring a starting pitcher’s workload du
e to his five days of rest.
Manager Youm expressed the urgency of the situation during his pregame presser at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, stating, “One more loss means the end of our season. We will use every option available to us and take it one game at a time. Hernandez will be our second pitcher, and he can pitch like a starting pitcher since he has rested for five days.”
On the opposing side, Samsung Lions’ manager Park Jin-man also commented on his bullpen strategy. With the Lions having taken a commanding lead in the series, partly thanks to hitting eight home runs across the first two games, their relievers have not been overly taxed. Park noted, “We have a few relievers who haven’t pitched, and we will be able to lean on them, depending on game situations. Obviously, the best-case scenario for us is to finish this series as early as possible. It would give us extra rest before the Korean Series.”
As the series moves to Jamsil, known for being less favorable to hitters compared to Daegu Samsung Lions
Park, both teams might need to adjust their strategies. Park acknowledged this shift, saying, “It all depends on whether we take an early lead or we have to play catchup. But since we’ll be playing at a bigger stadium, we have come prepared for different situations.”