LG Twins Recap: Wacky Loss Conjures Up Weird MN Twins Trivia

[Tom Froemming]

The KBO’s LG Twins had an uneven week, starting things off with a sweep before getting swept themselves. Along the way, they were part of a strange game that inspired a weird bit of trivia regarding the 1970 Minnesota Twins to be dug up.Before we start ...

I wrote an LG Twins/KBO primer article last week, but one item I was unable to track down was how the team got its nickname. I found the answer. Per an article at The Athletic by C. Trent Rosecrans, the team name references twin towers in Seoul that are owned by the LG company. Mystery solved.

 

TUE: Twins 9, Hanwha 5 | Box score | Highlights

The Twins sure made things interesting in this one. They entered the ninth up 9-3, but ended up allowing the tying run to reach the plate. Ace reliever Jung Woo-young had to be called upon to record the final out.

 

Right fielder Chea Eun-sung hit his fifth home run of the season and was 3-for-4 with a walk. He’s emerging as one of my favorite players on the team.

 

 

In his age-30 season, Jung Chan-heon transitioned from the bullpen to the rotation. So, this is essentially if the Minnesota Twins had Taylor Rogers start games this season. The move has gone extremely well, though Jung has been given plenty of extra days rest between starts. After a solid outing in this game, Jung has a 3.34 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8.8 K/9. For more background on the role change, check out this article.

 

Second baseman Jung Ju-hyeon was an unlikely hero, hitting both a bases clearing triple and a home run in this one. He tallied just two triples and two homers in 129 games all of last season.

 

WED: Twins 7, Hanwha 1 | Box score | Highlights

Lim Chan-gyu turned in a quality start after surviving a stressful second inning. He threw 115 pitches over six innings, racking up eight strikeouts while holding the Eagles to just one run.

 

 

The first two hitters in the Twins lineup — Lee Chun-woong and Hong Chang-gi — combined to get on base in seven of their eight plate appearances.

 

THU: Twins 9, Hanwha 7 | Box score | Highlights

After cruising to victory in the second game of this series, this was another one that got too close for comfort. The Twins led 4-3 heading into the eighth inning, and it’s a good thing they kept tacking on runs.

 

The big news in this one was that slugger Roberto Ramos returned to action, but it was former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Kim Hyun-soo who carried the Twins lineup. He was 3-for-4 with a homer and a walk. Former Cubs prospect Son Ho-young came off the bench and recorded his first career KBO hit, RBI and stolen base.

 

 

The 25-year-old rookie has had quite a unique journey to the KBO, which was detailed in this article. Son quit college in Korea, signed as an international free agent with the Cubs, was released after three seasons in their system and completed mandatory military service upon his return to Korea prior to being drafted by the Twins.

 

FRI: Doosan 18, Twins 10 | Box score | Highlights

The Doosan Bears, defending KBO champs, built a 13-1 lead by the time the top of the second inning was over. The weird fact about this game is the 28 runs were scored without the benefit of a single home run. Pretty incredible. When's the last time something like that's happened in the big leagues?

 

 

Here’s the box score from that September 1970 14-13 Twins loss at the hands of the Royals in which 27 runs were scored without a home run being hit. That game went 12 innings.

 

SAT: Doosan 8, Twins 2 | Box score | Highlights

Casey Kelly turned in a quality start, holding the Bears to three runs over seven innings while also racking up seven strikeouts, but the Twins lineup was shut out until the final frame.

 

 

SUN: Doosan 3, Twins 1 | Box score | Highlights

The Twins turned to 18-year-old starter Lee Min-ho in the final game of the series. He held Doosan to two runs over his five innings, but needed 110 pitches to make it that far due to struggles with command. Lee walked four batters, hit two more and threw a wild pitch.

 

 

Current KBO standings

1. NC Dinos 28-12

2(t). Doosan Bears 25-16 (-3.5)

2(t). LG Twins 25-16 (-3.5)

4. Kiwoom Heroes 25-17 (-4)

5. Kia Tigers 23-18 (-5.5)

6. Lotte Giants 20-21 (-8.5)

7. Samsung Lions 20-22 (-9)

8. KT Wiz 18-23 (-10.5)

9. SK Wyverns (-16.5)

10. Hanwha Eagles (-19)

 

This week

Tue/Wed/Thu: vs. Kiwoom Heroes

Fri/Sat/Sun: at SK Wyverns

 

Click here to view the article