Pro baseball LG Twins pitcher Sohn Joo-young continued his dominance over Lotte with a perfect, scoreless performance.

Sohn Joo-young took the mound as the starting pitcher in the home game against Lotte on the 23rd at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, allowing only 1 hit in 7 innings (96 pitches) while showcasing a perfect record with no runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts.

Lotte deployed right-handed batters against left-hander Sohn Joo-young on this day. Yoon Dong-hee (center fielder), Sohn Ho-young (third baseman), Jeon Jun-woo (left fielder), RAYES (right fielder), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Jeong Hoon (designated hitter), Yoo Gang-nam (catcher), Ko Seung-min (second baseman), and Jeon Min-jae (shortstop) were in the starting lineup. There were only two left-handed batters: Na Seung-yeop and Ko Seung-min. Left-handed batters Hwang Seong-bin and Park Seung-wook, who started the day before, were missing.

Sohn Joo-young was strong against Lotte, boasting a career record of 2 wins and no losses with an earned run average of 1.80 over 3 games until last year. It was the same on this day. After two outs in the third inning, he dominated the Lotte lineup with 13 consecutive outs.

In the first inning, he walked leadoff batter Yoon Dong-hee on a full count after 7 pitches. However, he erased Sohn Ho-young with a ground ball double play to the third baseman on the second pitch. After two outs, he struck out Jeon Jun-woo on a 124 km curveball, finishing the inning smoothly.

In the second inning, he also walked leadoff batter RAYES. Again, he erased the runner with a double play. He induced Na Seung-yeop to hit a ground ball to first base, and first baseman Austin stepped on the base and threw to second base, tagging out the runner at first base. After two outs, Jeong Hoon ended the inning with a fly out to right field.

In the third inning, Yoo Gang-nam was out on a fly ball to center field, and Ko Seung-min struck out looking on a 149 km fastball. After two outs, he allowed Jeon Min-jae a double that fell on the left side. It was the first time he allowed a runner in scoring position, but he ended the inning by getting Yoon Dong-hee to pop out to first base. First baseman Austin made a great play, running into foul territory to catch the fly ball that was coming from behind.

In the fourth inning, he handled Sohn Ho-young with a ground ball back to the pitcher and sent back Jeon Jun-woo with a ground ball out to shortstop. A well-hit line drive by RAYES was caught by right fielder Hong Chang-ki, who made a diving catch, helping Sohn Joo-young.

In the fifth inning, he struck out 2 batters, retiring the side in order. He struck out Na Seung-yeop looking on a 148 km fastball and handled Jeong Hoon with a ground ball to shortstop. He turned Yoo Gang-nam around with a 148 km fastball inside, striking him out looking.

Sohn Joo-young got Ko Seung-min out on a ground ball to third base in the sixth inning. Jeon Min-jae's ground ball was handled well as shortstop Oh Ji-hwan rushed forward to make the play for an out. He got Yoon Dong-hee out with a ground ball to shortstop, marking three consecutive innings of retiring the side in order.

Sohn Joo-young, who had thrown 85 pitches until the sixth inning, returned to the mound in the seventh. He struck out Sohn Ho-young looking on a 123 km inside curveball. Jeon Jun-woo was retired on a foul fly out to first base, caught well by first baseman Austin. RAYES was thrown out on a ground ball to second.

The bigger picture for the 2nd starter Sohn Joo-young lies ahead until next year's opening game. Manager Lim Kyung-yup noted in an interview with reporters before the game on the 23rd about Sohn Joo-young as the 2nd starter, saying, "The early part of the season is important. I matched the starting pitchers with strong teams. There is also a different meaning for Joo-young. In fact, I was really struggling about whether to place Joo-young or Chan-kyu as the 2nd starter. Chan-kyu also performed decently against Lotte, so he could have been the 2nd starter. However, to make Joo-young the starting pitcher for next year's opening game, I placed him as the 2nd starter."

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