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'Six innings of one run to six innings of no-hit ball
"I just cleared my mind and it worked out".
A pitcher who could have easily fallen into a three-game losing streak has become a hero in the midst of a difficult season. The hero is LG Twins pitcher Choi Won-tae. LG was on the verge of a three-game losing streak after being swept by Samsung for the second straight day. Choi Won-tae, who starts on the 25th, has a lot on his shoulders.
After earning his first quality start of the season against SSG on April 19 (6 innings, 2 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, 1 earned run), Choi locked down a red-hot Samsung lineup with six shutout innings. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three. He touched 148 mph and utilized his arsenal effectively, including a curveball, two-seam fastball, cut fastball, and changeup.
The LG offense, which had been plagued by a one-hit shutout in Game 24, finally got going. Kim Hyun-soo showed off his fixer-upper instincts with five hits and four RBIs, including a towering three-run homer in the sixth inning, Park Hae-min had three hits and two RBIs, including a wedge two-run arch in the ninth, and Oh Ji-hwan got his first taste of the big leagues. Leadoff hitter Hong Chang-ki completed the three-hit game. LG finished the three-game midweek series with an 8-2 victory over Samsung to take a 1-2 record.
"I tried to clear my mind, and I think it worked out well," Choi said after the match. It was helpful that (Park) Dong-won asked me about things before today's game because we had a battery in the previous two games," Choi said. "My slider was good and my curveball had a high strike rate. His fastball, on the other hand, needs a little work."
He also expressed his gratitude to catcher Do-Hwan Heo. "I'm grateful to him for always making good adjustments," he said. After two consecutive quality starts, Choi Won-tae expressed his desire to pitch more than six innings every time he takes the mound.
Manager Yoon Kyung-yup praised Choi Won-tae, saying, "He pitched well with his changeup to break the losing streak." He added, "On offense, Oh Ji-hwan was able to bring the game to a close with a home run off Masu-girl, and in the absence of additional runs, Kim Hyun-soo and Park Hae-min hit home runs to bring the game back."