LG Twins Choi Won-tae’s slump is prolonged. He seems to have a hard time even pitching that many innings, let alone being a winning pitcher.

LG lost 7-8 in the 14th game of the season against the KIA Tigers of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 10th. Following the previous day’s double header loss, they were mired in three straight losses including today’s loss. The season record was 70 wins, 2 draws, and 47 losses (0.598), and the winning percentage fell below 60%.

The batting line accumulated points by scoring four consecutive innings starting from the top of the third inning. There were no home runs, but there were situations in the middle of the game that could change the atmosphere, such as three doubles. However, they were unable to take the lead once throughout the game and lost.

In the end, the problem was that many points were scored early in the game. Choi Won-tae, who was in charge of starting duties, allowed 7 runs while allowing 8 hits, 5 walks, and 3 strikeouts in 2⅔ innings. This is the first time since the opening of this season that Choi Won-tae has been replaced after less than 3 innings, and it is the second time he has walked 5 in 1 game since the Gocheok SSG Landers game on July 2nd.

Every inning was ‘a series of hardships.’ Choi Won-tae sent out at least three runners per inning from the bottom of the first to the bottom of the third, and the number of pitches reached a whopping 81. While he had no control over the ball, his position was also lacking. In the end, the team had no choice but to quickly replace Choi Won-tae to avoid losing streak.

LG made a trade with Kiwoom Heroes at the end of July, when the trade deadline was approaching, and acquired pitcher Won-Tae Choi in the process. At the same time, they gave away a lot of things, including pitcher Kim Dong-gyu, outfielder Lee Joo-hyung, and a first-round pick in the 2024 rookie draft. LG may have to endure some bleeding, but LG believes that it was necessary to strengthen the starting lineup in order to overcome the burden of winning.안전놀이터

At that time, the head coach welcomed Choi Won-tae warmly. Coach Yeom Kyeong-yeop said, “It feels like a gap has been opened,” and added, “When the team was in a difficult situation, Choi Won-tae came and filled in well, and I think the timing of the trade was good when a big crisis could come in July. Also (with a new team) He did not hide his expectations, saying, “There will be many positive factors because there are conditions that can help us live.”

That expectation was revealed in the results of the first pitch. Choi Won-tae became the winning pitcher in an away game against the Doosan Bears on July 30th with 2 hits, no walks, 5 strikeouts, and no runs in 6 innings. In particular, he lived up to Coach Yeom’s expectations with a strong transfer announcement, including continuing a streak of 14 batters in a row.

However, the evaluation after August was different compared to before. At least, there were elements of hope as he pitched at least 5 innings until the Daegu Samsung Lions game on the 5th, the Jamsil Kiwoom Heroes game on the 12th, and the Incheon SSG Landers game on the 18th, but in his three subsequent appearances, both content and results were not good. . His performance since his transfer is 7 games, 32⅔ innings, 2 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 8.27.

So far, Choi Won-tae was relatively better in the first half than the second half. His first and second half career records are 121 games, 659⅔ innings, 47 wins, 32 losses, and an average ERA of 4.17, respectively, and 70 games, 336⅓ innings, 21 wins, 18 losses, and an average ERA of 4.84, respectively, which are slightly different even considering the different samples.

However, we cannot blame only his performance in the first and second half of the year. Ultimately, an overall inspection is needed, including chemistry with catchers on the team such as Park Dong-won, Heo Do-hwan, and Kim Ki-yeon, as well as pitch patterns. If the remaining September passes without a clear turnaround, LG may not be able to find a way to utilize Choi Won-tae in the process of preparing for the postseason. This is something that Choi Won-tae must overcome for the sake of the team and himself.