Lim Chan-kyu, LG Twins' young fan who refused to go to school for the runner-up prize in the Korean Series 22 years ago, has become LG's postseason ace and has kept its fans from crying. With two losses in the playoffs on the brink of collapse, he took the starting pitcher for Game 3 and handed LG another victory. He has won three of his three postseason games this year, including two semi-playoffs, and posted an ERA of just 1.08.
Lim Chan-kyu started in Game 3 of the playoffs against the Samsung Lions in the "2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO Postseason" at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 17th, and pitched well in five ⅓ innings with three hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. The victory was given to Lim Chan-kyu as the next pitcher, Elijah Hernandez, blocked the remaining three ⅔ innings with two hits, one walk, five strikeouts, and no runs. LG beat Samsung 1-0 thanks to the two pitchers' strong pitching, making it 1-2 in the series.
Im Chan-gyu's autumn performance, which started in the semi-playoff, continued through the playoffs. This time, Im took the mound under greater pressure than before, but his ball did not falter. Im Chan-gyu suppressed the Samsung batters, who scored 20 points in two games in Daegu by blocking the first two innings with three outs. In the fourth inning, he struck out Kang Min-ho with runners on the first and third bases with two outs, and pumped up his fist.
After Lim Chan-kyu scored five scoreless innings, the LG lineup scored the first run. Following a walk by leadoff hitter Park Dong-won, Park Hae-min sent a runner to the scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. With Moon Sung-joo's heavy hit giving him a chance to get first and third bases with one out, Hong Chang-ki called in Park Dong-won with a sacrifice fly to left field. Lim Chan-kyu finished his mission by handling leadoff hitter Kim Heon-gon with a fly ball to left field in the sixth inning.
Im Chan-gyu's post-season performance this year is a performance that remains even after being paid by the FA with three runs and two earned runs in 16 ⅔ innings, and an earned run average of 1.08. Im Chan-gyu's performance in fall is an extension of his performance in the last seven games of the regular season, starting with the victory of two runs in six ⅔ innings against Hanwha on Aug. 15. Lim Chan-gyu is the only ERA pitcher who pitched more than 20 innings during the same period.
In an interview after the game, Lim said, "I could have won (the third round) but I won. I want to continue until the fourth round," adding, "I was less nervous than in the fifth round of kt and semi-playoff games. I thought, "Let's throw my ball with ease. I helped him defend and I was lucky."
The game unraveled as I had expected. Notably, when his team was facing a crisis of losing first and third bases with two outs in the fourth inning, he pitched against Kang Min-ho with a walk, ultimately achieving the best result of strikeouts. "I tried to throw a ball to the borderline thinking that I could give him a walk. I wanted to throw a ball that was a little more difficult," Lim said.
The victory made headlines on Wednesday in that it was a victory over Samsung, which caused the "denial of going to school" announced on the Korean Series Media Day last year. "The series is not over yet," Lim said. "It was the Korean Series then, and now it is the playoffs. Still, I am happy to play in a game that I used to watch as a child and give the team a win."
When asked about his stellar performance in the postseason, he cited calmness as the biggest reason. "I thought about doing it as a regular season as much as possible, but it suited me well," Lim said. "(Park) Dong-won also had a good lead. He also had a good defense. I was lucky. I didn't improve and upgrade myself significantly. I think that what I gained from calmness is what I improved," Lim said.
스포츠토토 "It has changed little by little as I have failed over and over again. As I experienced the Korean Series, I experienced the combination of what I had failed before, which gave me experience," he added.
LG continued its series through Game 4 with a victory on Thursday. The starting pitcher for Game 4 is Detrick N.S. "I think N.S. will do a good job in Game 4," Lim Chan-kyu said on the possibility of waiting in the bullpen for Game 5. "I will play if I tell them to. I hope they do well and reach Game 5. If they reach Game 5, they will win."