“I am intensively testing my curve and changeup, and it is going well.”
LG pitcher Lee Min-ho (22) is aiming to upgrade to the next level by equipping various breaking balls in addition to his main weapon slider. Lee Min-ho is intensively testing his curveball and changeup in the demonstration game. He is getting better and more confident.
Lee Min-ho took the mound as a starting pitcher in the 2023 KBO League exhibition game against Lotte held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 19th. 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts and 2 runs in 4 innings.
He was not good at pitching in the first inning. He allowed top hitter Hwang Seong-bin to go on base with a surprise bunt hit between the pitcher and first baseman. He was hit by Ahn Kwon-soo’s double that fell on the zazen table, and was driven to the 2nd and 3rd base crisis. He let Go Seung-min walk out and the bases were safely loaded, and Jack Rex also allowed a walk on the 8th pitch and conceded a run. With no bases loaded, he gave An Chi-hong the second run on a sacrifice fly to right field.
In 1st and 1st and 3rd base, Jung-hoon struck out on a swing, and catcher Park Dong-won, who was trying to stop the stealing of 2nd base, threw a throw in the middle.
From the 2nd episode, it was completely different. Three-way offense with three floating balls. In the 3rd inning, it was a safe second base crisis by allowing an infield hit and a steal from second base hitter Hwang Seong-bin, but it was blocked without a run with a strikeout, infield grounder, and outfield fly ball. In the 4th inning, he blocked it cleanly with a triple strike.
Lee Min-ho, who threw 29 pitches in the first inning, finished with 30 pitches in the 2nd to 4th innings. He was able to take long innings pitched, averaging 10 pitches per inning.
After the match, Lee Min-ho said, “Before the game started, I focused on throwing a lot of breaking balls in a row. I got the ball in the first inning, but it was a ball with a good curveball or changeup. It was a walk. The walk is unfortunate and needs to be fixed in the future, but I think it’s okay because I caught more breaking balls (curve, changeup) today than before. In the future, practice more so that I can throw more consistently at any time, and prepare more before the opening. I intend to do it,” he said.
The number of pitches, 59, was evenly varied with fastballs (17), curves (15), changeups (14), and sliders (13). Until last year, he threw more than 80% of fastballs and sliders, but the proportion of curveballs and changeups increased.
On the 13th, in the NC game, the first appearance of the demonstration game, he scored 5 hits (1 home run), 2 strikeouts and 2 runs in 2 innings. Lee Min-ho said, “Aside from hitting a home run in the first game, (my pitch) was worse than today. In the match against Lotte on this day, his curve and changeup control improved.
Lee Min-ho, who joined LG as the first player in 2020, has been in the starting rotation since the first year of his debut. It was possible because he was expected to be the next-generation ace. He had an average ERA of 3.69 with 4 wins and 4 losses in 20 games in 2020,먹튀검증 an ERA of 4.30 with an average ERA of 8 wins and 9 losses in 25 games in 2021, and an average ERA of 5.51 with 12 wins and 8 losses in 26 games last year.
Lee Min-ho said, “The hitters are mostly focusing on my fastball, but the curve comes in as a strike and the right hit seems to come out a little less, and it seems that I went a little more comfortably from the second inning. I want to be able to do it, so I think I need to think about and prepare for that part a little more.”