LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop on the verge of playoff elimination: "Couldn't score chasing runs, making it a difficult game"

(JEONNAM-GWANGJU = Yonhap News) = LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, whose team was pushed to the brink in the professional baseball semi-playoffs (best-of-five), expressed regret over his batting lineup.

Following a 3-6 defeat in the second game of the semi-playoffs held at the Kia Champions Field in Jeonnam-Gwangju on the 18th, which resulted in their second consecutive loss, Manager Yeom said in a post-match press conference, "We gave up many runs in the first inning, and while the bullpen held them to a minimum, the offense failed to produce the runs needed to chase the game, making it a difficult match overall."

The offense was led by Oh Ji-hwan, Park Dong-won, and Goo Bon-hyuk, positioned in the 7th through 9th spots in the batting order, who combined for 4 hits and 1 RBI, along with leadoff hitter Park Hae-min, who recorded 3 hits and 1 RBI.

However, the team failed to score many runs because the core 3rd through 5th hitters—Austin Dean (4 at-bats, no hits), Moon Jeong-bin (4 at-bats, 1 hit), and Moon Bo-gyeong (3 at-bats, 1 hit), from whom much was expected—were held to just 2 hits in 11 at-bats.

Among their 9 hits, the only extra-base hit was a double by Park Dong-won.

Acknowledging that the current semi-playoff roster lacks a "long man" to pitch 2 to 3 innings in the event of a starting pitcher's collapse, Manager Yeom evaluated, "We went with a strategy of cutting off and blocking inning by inning, and the bullpen did their job well today."

Regarding the 8th inning with two outs and runners on first and second while trailing 3-6, where he trusted Lee Jae-won to deliver a hit, Manager Yeom stated, "Right now it's during the season, and Lee Jae-won is also in the process of gaining experience. We plan to focus intensively on areas to improve starting from the finishing camp after the season."

Lee Jae-won, who missed the scoring opportunity, shed endless tears in the dugout, eliciting sympathy from onlookers.