“I’ve been there.”
LG Twins manager Yoon Kyung-yeop brought up a memory from four years ago on the 30th. It was a nightmarish memory.
For Yeom, 2019 remains a scarred year. As manager of the SK Wyverns (now the SSG Landers), Yeom lost the top spot in the regular season to Doosan, who had a nine-game lead by mid-August. They were tied in the final game and ended up finishing second due to their inferior head-to-head record. The tiebreaker will now be used to decide the standings, but at the time, Yeom realized the importance of winning the first game.
The starting pitcher against Doosan in Jamsil on the 30th was Adam Plutko. However, the starting pitcher was Choi Won-tae, who was acquired via trade on the 29th. Plutko had recently complained of a cold and was unable to train. Plutko’s start was pushed back until August 2 against the Jamsil Kiwoom Heroes.
Plutko has been the ace of the starting rotation this season, going 11-2 with a 2.33 ERA in 18 games.
Yeom was uncomfortable with the news of Plutko’s cold, saying, “If he gets a cold now, I will give him the best penalty.”
“It could create a team crisis,” he said. It could knock us down a spot in the standings, it could ruin a season. That’s baseball. One small thing can ruin a season. I’ve seen it countless times,” he said, adding, “If (Choi) doesn’t come back, who’s going to be on the mound? A secondary pitcher has to step up. And then you lose and lose and lose and lose, and that one (cold) can have a huge impact on the team.”
“The responsibility of a professional athlete is not only to play baseball well. It’s also important to take good care of yourself. Even I, who doesn’t move much, wear a jumper when I’m in the air conditioner to avoid catching a cold,” he said, emphasizing that it’s the basics of being a professional player.
“Fortunately, Won-tae came in and hit a perfect pitch, and we got through it without any problems. “If Won-tae hadn’t come, there could have been a huge crisis,” he said. “It’s not a five- or six-game difference in the win-loss standings, it’s a one- or two-game difference, but a one-game difference can have a big impact on the competition later on, and I’ve been there. The tiebreaker was created because of me.”
First-place LG maintains a 2.5-game lead over second-place SSG Landers. A 2.5-game gap is not a reassuring one for Yeom, who had to come from behind to win the title in nine games.
Choi Won-tae threw six shutout innings against Doosan on the 30th. He made his LG debut, filling in perfectly for Plutko.스포츠토토
Although the team is over the hump, Yeom hopes this will keep them on their toes until the end. “The main players should have a greater sense of responsibility. It’s not just a responsibility to play baseball well, but it’s also important to take care of yourself,” he urged.