The final puzzle trade of the championship. Pitcher for 3 players, 11 runs allowed, 7.00 ERA, will he be okay?

토스카지노On July 29, LG made a surprise trade with Kiwoom. LG agreed to a trade of infielder Lee Ju-hyung, pitcher Kim Dong-gyu, and a first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft to acquire Kiwoom’s starting pitcher Choi Won-tae.

LG, looking to win its first Korean Series title in 29 years, was most concerned about the struggles of its homegrown starters in the first half of the season, which it hoped to address by acquiring 10-win pitcher Choi Won-tae.

The trade was a big one. They got a recognized hitting talent (Lee Ju-hyung) who completed his military service early, a promising pitcher (Kim Dong-gyu) who was a second-round pick this year, and a first-round pick. The final piece of the puzzle to win the Korean Series this year, a championship, would offset the three players given up.

Choi Won-tae started against Doosan in Jamsil on July 30, the day after the trade, and pitched six innings of two-hit ball, striking out five and walking none. It was a perfect debut for LG, and LG fans cheered.

Choi Won-tae is doused with water by his teammates after earning his first win in an LG uniform against Doosan in Jamsil on July 30. / OSEN DB

However, his subsequent behavior has been somewhat unnerving. In his second start in an LG uniform, Choi took the loss at Samsung Electronics on July 5, giving up six runs on nine hits in five innings. On the 12th, he pitched five innings and two runs to win against Kiwoom, and on the 18th, he pitched seven innings and four runs against SSG.

On the 25th, against the Changwon NC. Choi Won-tae pitched his worst game since his debut. He gave up 11 runs on 15 hits in 4 innings. It was a new record for most hits in a game and a tie for most runs allowed.

The NC batters came out swinging in the first inning, and Choi’s pitches kept getting hit. In the first inning, he gave up three runs on five hits against the first six batters he faced.

In the third, he gave up four runs on four consecutive hits. In the fourth, he gave up a bases-loaded double with the bases loaded and a career-high four runs. In the first inning, the NC hitters tended to get hit by fastballs, and in the third and fourth innings, they were hit by fastballs and changeups alike.

NC’s Kim Joo-won, who had two doubles and four RBIs, said, “Our batters were lucky. They were hitting well from the first pitch,” but Choi Won-tae’s command and pitches were poor on the day.

LG pitcher Choi Won-tae / OSEN DB

Won-tae Choi, who was recruited as a championship hitter, is 2-2 with a 7.00 ERA in five games since being traded to LG. He has thrown 27 innings and allowed 23 runs (21 earned).

His ERA in the previous four games was 4.69, which isn’t great either. LG’s bats are good, so he only needs to give up 3 runs in 5-6 innings, but he’s had his ups and downs as a pitcher who was expected to start 3 games in the postseason.

Looking at the second half of the season, Choi is 2-2 with a 7.03 ERA in six games. His ERA is the lowest among the 27 pitchers who have pitched at least one inning. This is in contrast to his performance in the first half of the season, when he went 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 16 games, ranking in the top five in the league among homegrown starters.

LG pitcher Choi Won-tae / OSEN DB