There will be no All-Star break for Lee Jung-yong (27-LG Twins).
LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop revealed his plans to utilize pitcher Lee Jung-yong during the manager’s briefing before the All-Star break.
Lee has been one of the league’s best set-up men in recent years, paving the way for closer Ko Woo-seok, but he made a midseason role change. He has been pitching as a starter since March 25 against the Jamsil Lotte Giants.
LG has utilized Casey Kelly, Adam Plutko, and Im Chan-kyu to form the 1-3 starters, but hasn’t been able to find a clear candidate for the 4-5 토토사이트 spot. Lee Min-ho, who has been a consistent starter, and Kim Yoon-sik, who was a sensation last year, have struggled with injuries and inconsistency. This is where Lee Jung-yong comes in.
Lee is used to pitching in relief, so it will take time for him to settle in as a starter. He needs to throw more pitches and get used to the game plan. For this reason, Lee will continue to work on his pitching during the All-Star break.
“He’s in the process of creating his pitches,” Yoon said. He needs to create his own curveball or forkball before he can start.” “If he wants to go from pitching one inning to pitching six innings, he needs to think about it. You can’t start with the stuff you have in the middle innings. It’s a combination of improving your curveball and forkball and increasing your pitch count.”
“I haven’t utilized the forkball as much because I haven’t had a lot of practice with it yet. In the end, I pitched a medium pitch pattern and (the opposing batting order) kept hitting it, so that proved it. I’m sure Lee Jung-yong felt it and talked about it in the pitching circle.”
The game Yeom was referring to was against Sasik Lotte on Sept. 9. Lee struggled mightily, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits (one home run) in three innings with two walks and one strikeout. As a reliever, you can rely on short innings and strong pitches to shut down your opponent, even if the pattern is monotonous, but starting is different. It’s important to be able to throw long innings with as many different pitches as possible.
Lee will join the Futures League squad during the All-Star break to work on perfecting his stuff as a starter.
“He (Lee) will go to the second team and pitch during the All-Star break,” Yoon said. No matter how many runs he gives up, he will focus on throwing his curveball and forkball to hold on. He will increase his pitch count. From 70 pitches now, I’m aiming for 90 pitches when I start the second half,” said Lee. “How much I can increase the value of my curveball and forkball during the All-Star break is the key to my success as a second half starter.”
Meanwhile, Lee started and pitched five innings in an exhibition game against the Doosan Bears at LG Champions Park in Icheon on April 17. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the second half of the season after a diligent break.