The professional baseball teams LG Twins and Hanwha Eagles will face off at Jamsil Stadium on the 22nd.
LG is in second place with a 13-6 record, half a game behind first-place KT Wiz (14-6). Hanwha is tied for sixth with an 8-11 record.
In the game on the 21st, LG defeated Hanwha 6-5. LG broke away in the fourth inning by scoring five runs after taking advantage of Hanwha defensive errors and attacking opposing starter Moon Dong-ju. Trailing 1-5, Hanwha used LG's bullpen troubles and defensive errors in the top of the seventh to tie the game 5-5. In the bottom of the seventh with two outs and a runner on second, Austin delivered an RBI single that put LG ahead 6-5.
On the 22nd, it is an intriguing starting matchup. LG will start Lachlan Wells, and Hanwha will start Wang Yen-cheng. Both pitchers were brought in this year under the newly introduced Asian quota. They have been the most outstanding performers among the Asian quota players across the 10 clubs.
Wells has appeared in three games, recording a 1-1 record with a 2.12 earned run average. He has allowed four runs in 17 innings. In the April 15 game against Lotte he pitched seven innings and allowed one run, but was the losing pitcher as his team's offense was silent in a 0-2 loss.
Wells, a left-hander, pairs a fastball topping out at 148 km/h with a slider, changeup and curve, all of which are valuable offerings. Last year, when he served as an injury replacement foreign player for Kiwoom for six weeks, he faced Hanwha once and pitched well, allowing two runs in six innings.
Wang Yen-cheng has appeared in four games, posting a 2-1 record with a 1.59 earned run average. He has thrown 22 2/3 innings and allowed 10 runs (four earned).
Among Hanwha's starting staff, he ranks first in team innings and tied for first in team wins, surpassing the foreign pitchers, Ryu Hyun-jin and Moon Dong-ju. He also ranks fifth in the league in earned run average.
Wang Yen-cheng is effectively the No. 1 starter leading Hanwha's rotation early in the season. His arsenal features a fastball that reaches 148–149 km/h, a two-seam fastball and a sweeper as his main pitches.
With LG and Hanwha—who contested last year's Korean Series championship—meeting in their first series of the season, it is an intriguing matchup that could determine the league's best Asian quota pitcher.
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