"Pulling the restraint for the rest of the camp"...LG Son Joo-young, who finished pitching in the second bullpen, predicted his performance in the 2025 season

"Pulling the restraint for the rest of the camp"...LG Son Joo-young, who finished pitching in the second bullpen, predicted his performance in the 2025 season

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Son Joo-young, a left-hander of the LG Twins, predicted his performance in the 2025 season.

Son Joo-young pitched his second bullpen session at the LG Spring Camp in Scottsdale, Arizona on the 7th (Korea time).

Son threw a total of 50 balls, including 31 fastballs, 10 curveballs, five forks and four sliders. The maximum speed of his fastballs was measured as 140 kilometers.

LG pitching coach Kim Kwang-sam said, "I checked the ball balance and movement. I controlled my ball well and gradually improved my condition and pitched with 70 to 80 percent strength."

After being called by LG as the second overall in the second round of the 2017 season, Son only posted two wins, six losses and an earned run average of 6.99 in 22 games (65.2 innings) in the first division through the 2023 season, which was a hit product for LG last year. He played in 28 games (144.2 innings), recording 9 wins, 10 losses and 1 hold and an earned run average of 3.79, and has emerged as LG's ace player.

The coach also expressed satisfaction over Son's rapid growth. "Each and every game is a big experience and an important time," LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, whom the coach met during the season, said of Son. "He should become a pillar of our starting lineup next year through this year (2024). Only then will we be able to form a team that we think of," he said. "He is a pitcher who can grow into a member of the Korean national team along with Lee Eui-ri from now on, following the generations of Yang Hyeon-jong from the Kia Tigers, Kim Kwang-hyun from the SSG Landers, and Ryu Hyun-jin from the Hanwha Eagles."

Son displayed stellar performance in the postseason last year. In Game 3 of the semi-playoff against the KT Wiz, he pitched as a bullpen pitcher, allowing two hits and seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings to secure a win in relief. In Game 5, he also pitched as a bullpen pitcher, earning four strikeouts and one walk in two innings to secure a hold, helping LG advance to the playoffs. In the playoff that he met with the Samsung Lions, he pitched as a starter and a bullpen session once, losing two games and earning an ERA of 6.00, but no one threw a stone to Son.

In the process, however, an unexpected injury hampered Son. He was dispatched to the bullpen in Game 4 of the playoffs, but was voluntarily substituted due to elbow pain. The hospital examination result showed that he had a left elbow flexor muscle and a single internal muscle in his left arm. As a result, Son was not able to play in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier 12 that took place after the season.

Fortunately, Son Joo-young quickly improved his physical condition, and even played his second bullpen pitch on the day, signaling his performance this season. Although the maximum fastball speed remained 140km, there is no need to worry because he did not do his best.

"We increased the intensity by increasing the number of pitches. We mainly threw fastballs, curves, and folk balls," Son said of the bullpen pitching. "We're not getting as fast as we thought yet, but we'll slowly pull it up during the rest of the camp." 스포츠토토

Son Joo-young's performance is also essential for LG, which ranked third in the final last year, although he won the title for the third time in 29 years since 1994, in the 2023 season. Son Joo-young is no longer a question mark but a starting resource that is classified as a definite "Sangsoo." When Son Joo-young keeps rotating, LG can build a more stable starting lineup. Attention is focusing on whether Son Joo-young, who showed off his robustness through bullpen pitching, will be able to take the lead in LG's recapture of the top spot by pitching well every day this year.