“I planned to change after one batter came out.”

LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yeob spoke a lot about Im Chan-kyu, who achieved his debut complete game victory the previous day, on the 27th at Jamsil Stadium.

Im Chan-kyu recorded a complete game victory against Hanwha, allowing only 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 5 without giving up a run over 9 innings. Having thrown 87 pitches until the 8th inning, Im Chan-kyu took the mound in the 9th and ended the game with a perfect inning, throwing exactly 100 pitches.

When asked, "How many pitches were you willing to wait until yesterday?" Manager Yeom laughed and said, “I planned to change after one batter came out in the 9th. It didn’t matter how many pitches, I was going to change as soon as it went over 100 pitches.” He added, “The player himself also said to the pitching coach, ‘Please change me if one comes out.’”

Manager Yeom congratulated Im Chan-kyu on his first complete game victory, calling it "the pinnacle of tempo control." Im Chan-kyu threw 41 fastballs, 28 curves, 25 changeups, and 6 sliders. His top fastball speed was 145 km/h. The slow curve had a minimum speed of 91 km/h and a maximum speed of 114 km/h. Although his fastball wasn’t particularly fast at just over 140 km/h, he overwhelmed the Hanwha lineup with the slow curve that disrupts batters' timing and the changeup in the 130 km/h range.

Manager Yeom mentioned, “Chan-kyu's mindset has changed since he is growing into our team's domestic ace. It’s not about technical changes; before, he was focused on speed and competing continuously. When I came in, I simply said I hoped he wouldn't compete on speed.”

Manager Yeom noted, “The curve is good, and the changeup has decent value. By enhancing these two pitches while comfortably throwing at 143 to 144 km/h, he can have the effect of throwing at 150 km/h. While I can’t force anything, if he throws like that, I think his chances of success will increase significantly. Ultimately, changing his mindset is crucial because it involves changing his baseball style. As Chan-kyu's results turn out well, he’s concentrating more on that and improving every year.”

Manager Yeom praised Im Chan-kyu's changeup from the previous day. He said, “This year, I've put in a lot of effort to sharpen the changeup. The whiff rate on the changeup seems to have increased significantly. He told me he would come back after testing the changeup in his last appearance in the minor leagues.”

He continued, “While watching yesterday’s game, I noted that the changeup had become much sharper. Previously, the changeup had a lot of contact, but yesterday, there was almost no contact. The pitch tunnel was much better formed, similar to the fastball. Chan-kyu's changeup isn’t one that drops as it comes; it comes straight and then drops slightly in front of the batter. Normally, a changeup should drop low to have a higher whiff rate, and when it enters the strike zone, it’s often hit hard if it's a poor pitch. Based on what I saw yesterday, the changeups that entered the zone also had many swings and misses, indicating that the value of the changeup pitch is very high, and the pitch tunnel with the fastball is formed exceptionally well.”

Due to the changeup, there are expectations that Im Chan-kyu will achieve better results this year. Manager Yeom said, “Since he has achieved a complete game, if the effectiveness of the changeup is applied this season, he might be able to secure a lot more wins. In fact, Hanwha’s lineup is not weak. There are many good contact hitters, and aside from a few in the lower lineup, they have a strong batting lineup. Performing at that level against such hitters is something I view very positively.”

Additionally, he mentioned, “I hope players Lee Ji-gang and Choi Chae-hung can move away from focusing solely on speed. There must be a clear method and plan to achieve success. Simply throwing hard won’t lead to success. I wish our pitchers would think more about strategic aspects regarding how to win against batters.”

[OSEN]