LG Twins closer You Young-chan (L) and catcher Park Dong-won celebrate their 7-2 win over the KT Wiz in Game 2 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Having lost his father during the 2021 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, LG Twins pitcher Im Chan-kyu thinks he knows what his grieving teammate, You Young-chan, is going through. And that makes Im appreciate the fellow pitcher that much more for what he was able to do Sunday.
You, 27, lost his father last Thursday. The closer missed the Twins’ first postseason game on Saturday but rejoined the club later that same evening, following their 3-2 loss to the KT Wiz in the first round.
The Twins battled back with a 7-2 victory Sunday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, where You escaped a bases-loaded jam unscathed in the top of the ninth inning to close out the win.
Im, who was credited with the win after throwing 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, said the entire Twins are rallying around You.
“It’s an indescribable tragedy,” Im said after the game. “I am sure it was difficult for Young-chan to come back so quickly. I am so thankful for him and so proud of him.”
Speaking from experience, Im, 31, predicted that the loss will weigh on You “longer than he probably expects.”
“I am sure his performance today offered comfort to his family,” Im added. “I want to thank Young-chan for pitching a great game for the team and for his family.”
Before the game, reliever Kim Jin-sung, 39, said he tried to keep things light around You.
“I think if I try too hard to console him, it would make things worse,” said Kim, who lost his father-in-law in 2020. “So I joked with him and tried to get him to laugh a bit. Before our first game, I told him not to worry about what’s going on over here and just to take care of his mother.”
In You’s absence, Kim and starter-turned-reliever Elieser Hernandez covered the late innings Saturday. Kim, who threw a perfect inning, said he tried extra hard for You.
“I was worried that he would feel bad about not being available,” Kim said. “So I tried to be sharper, and luckily, it worked out.”
(Yonhap)
