The professional baseball team LG Twins will challenge for the team's longest winning streak record following the opening game.
LG has started strong with five consecutive wins. The franchise's record for the most consecutive wins at the start of the season is six. LG is attempting to set a new record against the NC Dinos.
LG is riding high on an overwhelming starting rotation, a solid batting lineup, and strong defense with five consecutive wins to start the season. LG has a team earned run average of 1.00 over five games. They have been a fear for opposing teams. The team batting average is .310, and they hit seven home runs in the first two games, dominating the opposing pitching. In defense, they have committed zero errors. The starting rotation's earned run average is an astonishing 0.50 (2 runs in 36 innings).
LG exploded offensively against Lotte in the opening game, winning 12-2. New foreign pitcher Chi-Rinos took the mound, recording a quality start with six innings pitched, eight strikeouts, and two runs allowed in his debut in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league.
On the 23rd against Lotte, starter Son Joo-young threw a perfect game with seven innings pitched, one hit allowed, two walks, and five strikeouts with no runs scored, while the lineup produced 13 hits and scored 10 runs, resulting in a significant 10-2 victory.
From the 25th to the 27th, LG successfully swept a three-game series against Hanwha. Hanwha showcased a formidable native starting lineup featuring Ryu Hyun-jin, Um Sang-baek, and Moon Dong-joo. LG's starters Hernandez, Lim Chan-kyu, and Song Seung-ki all dominated, blanking the Hanwha lineup.
On the 25th against Hanwha, starter Hernandez shut down the opponents with seven innings pitched, one hit allowed, one walk, and eight strikeouts with no runs scored. He achieved a decision victory over Ryu Hyun-jin (six innings, no runs allowed), leading LG to a 5-0 win.
On the 26th against Hanwha, starter Lim Chan-kyu showcased an outstanding performance. Over nine innings, he threw 100 pitches, allowed two hits, two walks, had five strikeouts with no runs, and achieved his first complete game victory in his 15th year since debuting. With a top speed of 145 km/h on his fastball and excellent control over his changeup and curveball, he blanked the Hanwha lineup, leading to a 4-0 win.
On the 27th against Hanwha, rookie starter Song Seung-ki exhibited an impressive performance with seven innings pitched, one hit allowed, one walk, and five strikeouts with no runs scored. He showcased a variety of pitches, including a fastball topping at 150 km/h, slider, changeup, curveball, and forkball. His performance was on par with that of Hanwha's starter Moon Dong-joo, who pitched five innings, allowing one hit, with six strikeouts and no runs. The game was tightly contested, and in the bottom of the eighth inning, with a 0-0 tie and two outs, Kim Hyun-soo delivered a two-RBI hit, leading to a 2-1 victory.
LG's longest winning streak record at the beginning of the season is six consecutive wins, achieved from March 31, 2017, against Nexen to April 7 against Lotte. At that time, LG had three consecutive wins against Nexen, followed by two wins against Samsung, but a win against Lotte fell short of seven consecutive wins.
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeob's longest winning streak at the start of the season was two consecutive wins, recorded during his time as the manager of SK in 2019. After taking the helm of LG, they lost the opening game against KT in 2023, winning the second game. In 2024, they won their opening game against Hanwha but lost the second game.
LG had a five-game winning streak at the start of the 2022 season. They achieved two consecutive wins against KIA in Gwangju and three consecutive wins against Kiwoom in Gocheok; however, they lost to NC 1-4 in Jamsil.
LG will meet NC on the 28th in Changwon. NC currently has a record of three wins and two losses. They traded one win and one loss against defending champion KIA in the opening series and managed to win two out of three against Samsung during the week. In a hitter-friendly environment, they have a batting average of .375 over three games, slugging percentage of .527, and an OPS of .971, scoring 24 runs, averaging eight runs per game. Their season team batting average is .331, ranking second.
The opening game starter Chi-Rinos will face off against Logan (NC). Left-handed pitcher Logan performed well against KIA, pitching six innings and allowing one run. There is keen interest in whether LG can set a new record for the longest winning streak at the start of the season against NC and continue its record-setting challenge.
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