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LG's winning contractor, who is sharpening his sword to escape the slump, will KS Seo rebound?
Will Choi Won-tae, the winning contractor of the LG Twins, be able to reveal his true value in the Korean Series (KS).
Choi Won-tae, who was selected by the Heroes as the first pick in the 2015 draft, is a right-hander whose strengths are two-seam fastballs, changeups and curves. Until last year, he posted 60 wins, 44 losses and an ERA of 4.39 in 167 games in the first professional league.
Choi Won-tae, who showed his presence again this year, changed his uniform with utility resource Lee Joo-hyung and right-handed pitcher Kim Dong-kyu in the middle of the season. It was a condition to head to Kiwoom until the first round of the 2024 Rookie Draft
Despite such a big bleeding, it was clear why LG held Choi Won-tae in its arms. It was to reinforce the native starting lineup, which was pointed out as a weakness, and seek the presidency for the first time in 29 years since 1994. Choi Won-tae won double-digit wins for three consecutive years in the 2017-2019 season, and he has a lot of postseason experience. Above all, his performance before the transfer was excellent with 6 wins, 4 losses and an ERA of 3.25.
However, Choi failed to meet LG's expectations. On July 30, his first game in the LG uniform, he pitched well against the away Doosan Bears with two hits, five strikeouts and no runs in six innings, but that was it. He played four games in August, but slowed down with one win, two losses and a 9.00 ERA.
Since then, he has dreamed of a rebound once in September, going back and forth to the second division, but he has only won one game and lost one game with a 6.23 ERA in four games. Recently, LG succeeded in winning the regular league title for the first time in 29 years since 1994, but Choi Won-tae could not laugh because his sluggish performance was prolonged.
He then had a long period of reorganization. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, who met ahead of the Doosan match in Jamsil on the 14th, said of Choi Won-tae, "I'm preparing well. I'm preparing a lot of changeups and balance parts," he said. "The control of the changeup was so far away. (Choi Won-tae) explained, "All pitches can be better only when the changeup is revived."
Although he did not show much performance in the second half of the year, the coach's trust in Choi Won-tae was strong. Choi Won-tae is expected to start on the Korean Series stage.
Coach Yeom said, "The three starters (in the Korean Series) are set. (Kacey) Kelly, (Im) Chan-kyu, (Choi) Won-tae, he said. "What I have to worry about here is the second starter. Depending on the opponent team, I am considering whether to go with the original or Chan-kyu as the second starter, he said.
Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "I think the most important thing in the postseason is the starting lineup," adding, "Kelly and Wontae hold the key. How well Kelly and Wontae start depends on (LG's integrated victory)," he said, hoping for good performance from the two players.
Will Choi Won-tae be able to rebound from the Korean Series in response to the coach's expectations. If he recovers his original performance, LG will be able to take one step closer to the goal of presidency more easily.
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