KBO Update, June 28 to July 04: LOLTwins

As regular From Complex to Queens listeners know, we’ve decided to start following a KBO team in the absence of Mets baseball for the foreseeable future. We picked a team and will post updates on how they’re doing over in Korea. Why the LG Twins?

• Represent a major metropolitan area.
• Share Seoul (and Jamsil Baseball Stadium) with a rival team and compete for fans.
• Have been a team that, on paper, should compete but just have not been able to put things together over the last few years
• Have a strong pitching staff in 2020.
• Staff ace, Casey Kelly, has been denied numerous wins over the years due to anemic hitting and/or a leaky bullpen despite pitching quality starts.
• LG Corporation spends money on the team but does not always allocate that money wisely.
• Retired the number 41, worn by one of the best right-handed pitchers in team history.

Sounds like the Mets to me!

STANDINGS

June 28 (27-20)

LG Twins 4, SK Wyverns 0 (BOX)

The offense has been struggling these last couple of days, and the LG pitching staff has finally stepped up. After Chan-heon Jung threw a complete game shutout the day before, Chan-gyu Lim and three relivers combined to throw a second shutout. Hyun-soo Kim hit a two-run homer to put the Twins on the board, and with the game the pitchers had, that would’ve been enough, but they added a pair of insurance runs late just in case.

• CF Chun-woong Lee: 2-4, R, RBI, BB, K
• SS Ji-hwan Oh: 1-4, R
• LF Hyun-soo Kim: 2-4, R, HR (5), 3 RBI
• 1B Roberto Ramos: 0-3, K
• C Kang-nam Yoo: 0-4
• LF Ho-eun Kim: 0-3, K
• 1B Yong-yi Kim: 1-1, R
• RF Chang-gi Hong: 2-4
• 2B Ju-hyeon Jung: 2-4, K
• 3B Joon-won Jang: 0-3
• PH Keun-woo Jeong: 0-1, K
• 3B Bon-hyeok Koo: 0-0
• RHP Chan-gyu Lim: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, W (4-2)
• LHP Hae-soo Jin: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Dae-hyun Kim: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Woo-young Jung: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

June 29 (27-20)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

June 30 (28-20)

LG Twins 4, KT Wiz 3 / 11 (BOX)

Right fielder Chang-gi Hong picked a great time to hit his first home run of the year, walking off the game in the eleventh inning. Prior to extras, the game was a back-and-forth affair, with the Twins having the lead for most of it but the Wiz tying things up late.

• CF Chun-woong Lee: 0-3, RBI
• SS Ji-hwan Oh: 1-4, RBI, BB
• LF Hyun-soo Kim: 1-5
• 1B Roberto Ramos: 1-5, K
• DH Eun-sung Chae: 0-4, BB
• 2B Keun-woo Jeong: 1-3, R, BB
• 2B Ju-hyeon Jung: 0-1, K
• RF Chang-gi Hong: 2-5, 2 R, HR (1), RBI, K
• C Kang-nam Yoo: 2-4
• 3B Joon-won Jang: 2-3, K
• 3B Bon-hyeok Koo: 0-1, R
• RHP Min-ho Lee: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, HBP
• RHP Geon-wook Yeo: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• LHP Hae-soo Jin: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• RHP Dae-hyun Kim: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• LHP Sung-hoon Choi: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• RHP Woo-young Jung: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HBP
• RHP Dong-hwan Choi: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

July 01 (28-21)

KT Wiz 11, LG Twins 5 (BOX)

The Wiz took the lead early on and never gave it up, continually adding on and adding on. With the exception of Eun-beom Song, every Twins pitcher gave up at least one earned run. Woo-chan Cha, who was exceptional in his last start, had a clunker, continuing his very uneven 2020 season.

• CF Chun-woong Lee: 1-2, R, BB
• LF Ho-eun Kim: 1-2, K
• SS Ji-hwan Oh: 3-3
• C Sung-woo Lee: 1-2
• LF Hyun-soo Kim: 0-2, RBI
• RF Jae-won Lee: 0-2, K
• 1B Roberto Ramos: 0-3, BB, K
• 1B Yong-yi Kim: 0-0
• DH Eun-sung Chae: 0-2, R, 2 BB
• CF Chang-gi Hong: 0-3, K
• PH Keun-woo Jeong: 1-1, R
• C Kang-nam Yoo: 0-3
• SS Bon-hyeok Koo: 0-0, R, HBP
• 2B Ju-hyeon Jung: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, K
• 3B Joon-won Jang: 1-4, 2 RBI
• LHP Woo-chan Cha: 5.0 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 HR, L (4-3)
• RHP Geon-wook Yeo: 1.0 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Sang-gyu Lee: 2.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
• RHP Eun-beom Song: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

July 02 (28-22)

KT Wiz 4, LG Twins 3 / 10 (BOX)

The Wiz took an early lead with a pair of solo home runs in the first and second, but the Twins got those runs back and then some in the fifth. With men on the corners, Keun-woo Jeong laced a line drive into the left-center gap that scored both and tied things up at 2-2. The next batter, Chang-gi Hong, gave the Twins the lead with an RBI single. In the eighth, the Wiz tied things up at 3-3, forcing the game into extra innings. In the tenth, it looked like the Wiz took the lead on a Kyung-soo Park line drive that scored Baek-ho Kang, but the Twins challenged the call at the plate and after a replay review, the call on the field was reversed and Kang called out, keeping the game tied. That could’ve shifted the momentum of the game, but the Wiz simply scored the winning run on the next play. The Twins threatened in the bottom of the inning, with Roberto Ramos leading the inning off with a single, but nothing came of it.

• CF Chun-woong Lee: 0-4
• SS Ji-hwan Oh: 1-4
• LF Hyun-soo Kim: 0-4, K
• 1B Roberto Ramos: 3-4, R
• PR Yong-yi Kim: 0-0
• DH Eun-sung Chae: 1-4, R, K
• 2B Keun-woo Jeong: 1-3, R, 2 RBI
• 2B Bon-hyeok Kim: 0-0
• PH Ho-eun Kim: 0-1
• RF Chang-gi Hong: 1-4, K
• C Sung-woo Lee: 0-3
• C Kang-nam Yoo: 0-0
• 3B Joon-won Jang: 0-3, K
• RHP Casey Kelly: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HBP, 2 HR
• RHP Dae-hyun Kim: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• LHP Hae-soo Jin: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Woo-young Jung: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• LHP Sung-hoon Choi: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Eun-beom Song: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, L (1-2)

July 03 (28-23)

Samsung Lions 9, LG Twins 7 / 8 (BOX)

The game was called early on account of rain, and who knows what could’ve happened if the Twins had three more outs to work with. They worked their way back from a 5-0 deficit early on and seemed to be on their way to digging out of the second hole they found themselves in late. Four Twins batters hit home runs, including Roberto Ramos’ first longball since June 11th, but in the end, all those homers made no difference in the win/loss column.

• CF Chun-woong Lee: 1-4, R, BB, K
• LF Hyun-soo Kim: 1-4, R, HR (6), RBI, K
• RF Eun-sung Chae: 0-4, 2 K
• DH Roberto Ramos: 1-3, 2 R, HR (14), RBI, BB, K
• C Kang-nam Yoo: 2-4, 2 R, HR (5), 3 RBI, K, PB
• SS Ji-hwan Oh: 2-4, R, HR (4), 2 RBI,
• 2B Ju-hyeon Jung: 2-3, E, CS (3)
• PH Ho-eun Kim: 1-1
• PR Suk-hyun Han: 0-0
• 1B Yong-yi Kim: 0-4, 2 K
• 3B Joon-won Jang: 0-2, BB
• 3B Bon-hyeok Koo: 0-0
• PH Keun-woo Jeong: 0-0, BB
• RHP Tyler Wilson: 6.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, L (3-4)
• LHP Sung-hoon Choi: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Dong-hwan Choi: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

July 04 (28-24)

Samsung Lions 7, LG Twins 6 / 12 (BOX)

July third’s game was shortened, and so of course it took extra innings to decide the winner of this contest. The lead changed hands a few times, first with Samsung scoring a run in the first, the Twins taking the lead in the top of the third and then the Lions retaking it in the bottom of the inning. Down by two runs, Chun-woong Lee plated two runs in the top of the ninth with a line drive into right-center off of closer Seung-hwan Oh to tie things up. The game stayed tied for a few innings, and in the twelfth, Hyun-soo Kim hit a solo homer to give the Twins the lead. Hae-soo Jin came in to lock down the inning but did the opposite, walking the first batter he faced. That run would score a few batters later, tying the game and signaling the end of Jin’s time on the mound. He was replaced by Sang-gyu Lee, who wasn’t much better, allowing a single, striking out a batter, and walking a batter, loading up the bases. Eun-beom Song was brought in to attempt to escape the precarious situation, but he was unable to, walking the winning run home.

• RF Chun-woong Lee: 2-5, R, 3 RBI
• 2B Keun-woo Jeong: 0-6, 2 K
• 2B Ju-hyeon Jung: 0-0
• LF Hyun-soo Kim: 2-6, R, HR (7), 2 RBI, K
• 1B Roberto Ramos: 1-6, 2 K
• C Kang-nam Yoo: 0-6, 2 K
• DH Eun-sung Chae: 1-3, BB
• DH Suk-hyun Han: 0-1, R, K
• SS Ji-hwan Oh: 0-4, R, 2 K, HBP
• CF Chang-gi Hong: 1-2, 2 R, 3 BB
• 3B Bon-hyeok Koo: 0-0, BB
• PH Ho-eun Kim: 1-1
• 3B Joon-won Jang: 0-0
• 3B Yong-yi Kim: 0-2
• RHP Chan-gyu Lim: 7.0 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• RHP Dae-hyun Kim: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• LHP Sung-hoon Choi: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Woo-young Jung: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• LHP Hae-soo Jin: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, L (0-1)
• RHP Sang-gyu Lee: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• RHP Eun-beom Song: 0.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

HITTER OF THE WEEK

Hyun-soo Kim

6-25, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, 0/0 SB

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Chan-gyu Lim

7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

HITTER OF THE WEEK

May 3 to May 9: Hyun-soo Kim (6-17, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 0/0 SB)

May 10 to May 16: Roberto Ramos (6-16, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K, 0/0 SB)

May 17 to May 22: Eun-sung Chae (8-25, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K, 0/0 SB)

May 24 to May 30: Roberto Ramos (9-23, 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K, 0/0 SB)

May 31 to June 6: Roberto Ramos (6-17, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K, 0/0 SB)

June 7 to June 13: Hyun-soo Kim (7-22, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 0/0 SB)

June 14 to June 20: Ji-hwan Oh (11-23, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, HBP, 1/1 SB)

June 21 to June 27: Keun-woo Jeong (8-14, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 K, HBP, 0/1 SB)

June 28 to July 04: Hyun-soo Kim (6-25, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, 0/0 SB)

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

May 3 to May 9: Woo-chan Cha (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HR)

May 10 to May 16: Casey Kelly (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

May 17 to May 22: Tyler Wilson (7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, HR)

May 24 to May 30: Casey Kelly (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K)

May 31 to June 6: Chan-heon Jung (7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K)

June 7 to June 13: Min-ho Lee (7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K)

June 14 to June 20: Chan-gyu Lim (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 HBP)

June 21 to June 27: Chan-heon Jung (9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)

June 28 to July 04: Chan-gyu Lim (7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)