LG Twins reliever Son Ju-young pitches against the KT Wiz during Game 5 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 11, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
DAEGU, Oct. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Seven years after his debut in the Korea Baseball Organization, LG Twins left-hander Son Ju-young is finally playing in his first postseason in 2024.
And the 25-year-old has been having a ton of fun — so much that he may be making up for lost time. And if you’ve performed the way Son has so far, you’d be enjoying the experience, too.
Son was a lethal weapon out of the Twins’ bullpen in their first-round victory over the KT Wiz last week. In Game 3 last Tuesday, Son struck out seven in 5 1/3 dominant innings in relief to help the Twins to a 6-5 victory. Then three days later, Son tossed two hitless innings out of the bullpen and struck out four, as the Twins clinched the series with a 4-1 win. Son was named the Player of the Game.
Son was a starter during the regular season and set career-best numbers in ERA, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts, while earning high praise from manager Youm Kyoung-youb that Son could be the next great left-hander in South Korean baseball. He has returned to the rotation for the second round against the Samsung Lions and is scheduled to start Game 3 on Wednesday at home, Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
In a media scrum before Game 1 on Sunday, Son said he was preparing for his next outing by reviewing his performances from earlier games.
“It was a lot of fun pitching in that last series,” Son said at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul. “I’ve been watching my games over and over again, and that has given me even more confidence. I always go back and rewatch my games and look at spin rates on my pitches, among other things.”
Son was on the Twins’ Korean Series roster last year when they won the championship but never pitched. He only got to experience postseason baseball from a distance then, and he said being a part of the action this year has supplied “some invisible power.”
“I’ve not been nervous at all. My focus has been sharper and I’ve been able to throw harder than usual,” Son said. “There were times when I felt like I could throw 100 pitches.”
LG Twins reliever Son Ju-young celebrates after striking out Oh Yoon-suk of the KT Wiz to end the top of the seventh inning during Game 5 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Oct. 11, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Some sports psychologists may advise their clients against overthinking but Son said he tends to go over mechanical details in his head while pitching.
“I tend to think a lot when I am on the mound,” he said. “I know some people say I shouldn’t be thinking about anything. But inside my head, I go over things like the release point for my curveballs and the angle of my head when I am pitching.”
The Twins lost the opening game of this series 10-4. Depending on how Game 2 plays out Monday evening, Son could be in a position in Game 3 where he is trying to save his team’s season — not that he was daunted by that prospect.
“I am looking forward to pitching at home,” Son said. “I think I will be fired up for that.”
Son wants to build on fond memories of having pitched so well against the Lions during the regular season. In his season debut on March 28 at Jamsil, Son held them to three hits over six shutout innings and struck out three for his first win of the year. On June 12 in Daegu, Son allowed just one earned run in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision.
“Since I pitched so well against them in my first game of the season, I feel like I can go after them with confidence,” Son said. “I may be able to pitch even better this time.”
(Yonhap)
