“I don’t know what I would have done without him.”
LG Twins manager Yeom Kyung-yup never fails to praise Chan-kyu Lim when speaking to the media after every game. He gives him 50 per cent of the credit for the team’s success in the face of poor starting pitching. On the 28th, Yeom continued to praise Im before the game. On the 28th, Im Chan-kyu started and pitched well again to give the team a win.
On the 28th, Lim started the game against the KIA Tigers at the Gwangju-Kia Champions Field and pitched seven innings of four-hit, four-strikeout ball to lead the team to a 7-1 victory.
He’s gone from a long reliever to an uncertain starter to a young domestic ace. In six starts, he is 4-0 with a 1.47 ERA. That’s better than foreign pitchers Casey Kelly and Adam Plutko. He has become the most reliable starter.
After pitching six innings of three-hit (one home run), one-run ball against the SSG Landers in Incheon on the 23rd to lead the team to a 9-1 victory, Lim was more settled against the KIA on the 28th after a four-day break.안전놀이터
He gave up a leadoff single to Park Chan-ho in the top of the first, but got out of the jam by throwing out the runner at second on Ko Jong-wook’s line drive. He got Socrates to fly out to right field to end the first inning with ease.
The second inning was the most dangerous. No. 5 Kim Sun-bin hit a single to right field, but right fielder Hong Chang-ki didn’t catch the ball properly, allowing Kim to reach second base. Then, No. 6 Lee Chang-jin hit a grounder in front of the third baseman, but third baseman Moon Bo-kyung made a bad throw, putting runners at first and third. However, after striking out Byun Woo-hyuk, Im Chan-gyu got Hwang Dae-in to ground out to shortstop on a full count to end the threat.
In the bottom of the third, Ko Jong-wook made an amazing play in the second inning when he dodged a pitch that came at him and the ball got sucked into his glove.
In the bottom of the fourth, Choi Hyung-woo was hit by a pitch but was stranded without further damage, and in the bottom of the fifth, he struck out the side in order. In the bottom of the sixth, Koh Jong-wook reached on an error by the shortstop, but he didn’t let it bother him and got Socrates to fly out to left and Choi to fly out to shortstop. He had only thrown 72 pitches in the sixth inning, so he went into the seventh. His first seven-inning appearance of the season.
He gave up a leadoff single to Kim Sun-bin, but retired Lee Chang-jin on a grounder to short, then struck out pinch-hitter Kim Kyu-sung on a fly to left and Hwang Dae-in on a grounder to eighth to finish his job.
The LG fans at first base gave Im a standing ovation as he walked off the mound in the seventh inning. The fans knew it was his last pitch of the day and gave him a generous ovation. He also took off his hat to thank the fans.
After throwing 87 pitches, Lim shut down the KIA bats with a fastball that reached 147km (34), a curveball that reached 116km (22), a changeup that reached 130km (21) and a slider that reached 135km (10).
He picked up his fifth win of the season. It’s a tremendous performance as a starter. In seven games, he is 5-0 with a 1.19 ERA.
“I felt better today than I did in my last start,” said Lim, “and (Park) Dong-won told me that he has a good ball, so I shouldn’t force it, but rather throw it with the same effort. He told me to focus more on my command when it’s good.”
Lim says he’s ready to return to long relief at any time, but there’s something he’s changed recently. That’s responsibility. “I’m still pitching with the same mindset I had when I first started the camp, but I think my sense of responsibility on the mound has changed a bit,” he said. “I think every pitcher throws with a lot of focus, but I’m responsible for more innings and have a sense of mission to do my best to help the team win.”