LG’s rookie side arm pitcher Park Myung-geun has been a force to be reckoned with in his first year in the league. Despite his small stature of 174 centimeters, his ‘snake’ fastball, which reaches 150 kilometers per hour, is particularly powerful. As he grew more confident with each game, he even took on the role of closing the back door.
“Rather than trying to fight with the batters, I trust my catcher, Park Dong-won, and the batters,” he said before the Incheon SSG game on the 25th. “The idea of not giving up runs even if the bases are loaded is leading to good results.” At the beginning of the season, he struggled for a while as he realized the high barrier of the professional stage for the first time, but he quickly adapted and is now enjoying his pitches. “Now I feel comfortable when I go out to play,” he said.
Park Myung-geun, who has been throwing 150km/h fastballs since his days in Raongo, was a member of the U-18 national team alongside “super rookie” Kim Seo-hyun (Hanwha). He was LG’s third-round pick in the 2023 rookie draft and has appeared in 21 games, recording one win, four holds and three saves.
He has only one blown save despite frequently appearing in games where his team has a narrow lead. He took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning with his team leading 8-3 and pitched one scoreless inning. “Many people point to my short stature as a disadvantage, but I think it’s my own charm,” Park said with a smile.
The LG bullpen was relieved to have such a strong pitcher with such guts. The bullpen is currently missing closers Ko Woo-seok and Lee Jung-yong due to injury. Park Dong-won said, “I can feel the ball rising when I’m in sync with Park Myung-geun. It will be hard for batters to hit. I hope he gets the Rookie of the Year award.” 토토사이트
Park has been pitching more steadily since changing his position on the pitching plate. “Originally, I stepped on the pitching plate toward the right-hander’s body, but when I did that, the ball went outside,” he said. “To compensate for this, I changed the position to the outside of the right-hander’s body, and the pitch was caught.” On his changeup, which has been working as a deciding pitch lately, he said, “It was hard to throw at first, but I think I got the hang of it after throwing it a lot. It’s nice to have one more weapon against hitters.”
Now he’s fully acclimated to the league. He has his sights set on the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and the Rookie of the Year title, but he’s keeping his mind clear. “I’ve been dreaming of representing my country since I was a kid, but I have to show good form in the future,” Park said. “I believe that if I do what I can do now, good results will follow.”