Choi Won-tae, who joined the LG Twins through a trade, made his presence felt in his first start with a perfect game.메이저사이트
Choi threw six innings of two-hit ball, striking out five and walking none in an away game against the Doosan Bears of the 2023 KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.
In particular, he made a strong impression in his first start after the transfer by pitching a perfect game that did not allow a single Doosan batter to reach first base until the second inning of the fifth. Behind his performance, LG swept the three-game weekend series with a 10-0 victory over Jamsil rival Doosan.
Choi Won-tae is the latest pitching acquisition that LG has made to compensate for its starting pitching weaknesses as it looks to win a championship this season.
On April 29, the team traded outfielder Lee Ju-hyung (22), pitcher Kim Dong-gyu (19), and a 2024 first-round draft pick for pitcher Choi Won-tae.
This season, LG has flaunted an impeccable pitching balance, ranking first in both team batting average and team ERA, but their only real weakness is their homegrown starting pitching.
In fact, with the exception of Im Chan-kyu, who is 6-2 with a 3.35 ERA this season, there hasn’t been a homegrown starter to take over a game.
Homegrown starters Kim Yun-sik, Lee Min-ho, Kang Hyo-jong, Lee Ji-gang, and Lee Sang-young were given chances, but none of them stuck.
Eventually, LG turned to the outside world to bolster its starting pitching, acquiring Choi Won-tae via trade with Kiwoom.
Choi, who has appeared in 17 games for Kiwoom this season, posting a respectable 6-4 record with a 3.25 ERA in 102.1 innings pitched, proved his worth the day after donning the LG uniform.
Initially, foreign pitcher Adam Plutko was scheduled to start the game, but he was scratched due to illness. Luckily for the team, Choi Won-tae filled the void perfectly and lived up to the team’s expectations.
It will be interesting to see if Choi Won-tae, who lived up to LG’s expectations from the first game, will be able to make a splash in winning the Korean Series for the first time in 29 years.