LG Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop: "The MVP in my heart is Hernandez PO 4 starter system"

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 (56), the semi-playoff against KT Wiz continued to the 5th game.

And as coach Yeom had hoped, LG defeated KT 3-2 in the series and earned a spot in the playoffs.

After beating KT 4-1 in the 5th game of the professional baseball semi-PO held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 11th, Manager Yeom gave a 'victory interview' and praised KT, saying, "We were lucky in the end and advanced to the PO," but also expressed his desire to win by saying, "I don't think our batting line is weaker than the Samsung Lions batting line, our opponent in the PO. Our goal is to advance to the Korean Series."

The PO MVP is Chan-kyu Lim, who won the 2nd and 5th games. However, coach Yeom said, "The MVP in my heart is Eliezer Hernandez."

Hernandez appeared in all five pre-PO games and pitched well with two saves, one hold, and an ERA of 0 (7⅓ innings, five hits, no runs, 10 strikeouts).

Hernandez, who played as a starter during the regular season, changed his position to the bullpen during the postseason.

He also showed his dedication by volunteering to pitch and saying he could pitch more innings.

Coach Yeom said, "Hernandez's spirit was conveyed to our players. That's why our players played harder," and explained, "Hernandez created the team atmosphere with his dedication."

Son Ju-young made two relief appearances and pitched a perfect game with 1 win, 1 hold, and an ERA of 0 (7⅓ innings, 2 hits, no runs, 11 strikeouts).

Coach Yeom smiled and said, "Son Joo-young played the role of licorice," and recalled, "Pitchers Lim Chan-gyu, Son Joo-young, Hernandez, and hitters Shin Min-jae and Austin Dean led the team in the semi-PO.

Our style of playing big ball on the road and running baseball at home was well displayed in the semi-PO." Starting on the 13th, LG will play a best-of-five playoff series against Samsung, the regular season runner-up.

Coach Yeom said, "We played the semi-PO with the 3 starters (Ditrick Ens, Choi Won-tae, Lim Chan-gyu), but we will play the PO with the 4 starters including Son Joo-young." He added, "If Son Joo-young recovers well, we plan to rotate the starting pitchers with Choi Won-tae in the 1st game, Son Joo-young in the 2nd game, Lim Chan-gyu in the 3rd game, and Ens in the 4th game. If Son Joo-young needs time to rest, we can switch the order of Son Joo-young and Ens."

The PO key players chosen by Coach Yeom are Kim Jin-seong and Yoo Young-chan.

Manager Yeom said, "In the PO, Kim Jin-seong and Yoo Young-chan will have to block two innings each. I expect a lot from the two pitchers," and added, "I plan to use 

Hernandez as the closer and utilize the existing bullpen resources such as Jeong Woo-yeong, Ham Deok-ju, and Baek Seung-hyeon more often than in the semi-PO."

Samsung ranked first in this category with 185 home runs during the regular season.

However, Manager Yeom said, "We can hit a lot of home runs at the batter-friendly Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

I don't think our batting lineup is inferior to Samsung's," and predicted, "Offensive power and bullpen battles will determine the outcome of the playoffs."

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