"We'll work hard to win this season"

The LG Twins won the first combined championship in 29 years thanks to solid bullpen performance in the 2023 season. He dreamed of "building a dynasty" while looking at the championship in the 2024 season, but it was not easy. Starting with Ko Woo-seok's announcement of his entry into the U.S., injuries and sluggishness continued, leaving a vacancy in the must-win group.메이저사이트

Lee played as a starting pitcher for the 2023 season and the bullpen. For this reason, he was expected to play in the starting rotation before the start of the season, but he pitched more as a bullpen pitcher in the 2024 season. He played in 46 games, the most since his debut, and posted an ERA of 4.53. Looking back on his season, Lee left negative feedback rather than positive feedback.

I asked Lee Ji-gang about playing as a bullpen pitcher in the 2024 season. When asked which position he felt better suited him, he said, "I thought he was the right starter because I kept playing as a starter in the beginning." "I was a slow-warming style, and I had to throw a lot to get better (performance)." "After playing many games in the bullpen, I got used to it, so I warmed up quickly, and my performance in the bullpen seems to have improved little by little," he said, expressing that he is adapting to the position in the bullpen.

Regarding the change of position between starting and bullpen, he said, "I have no pressure. Rather, it was good to play more games."

He picked Game 1 of a doubleheader game against KT Wiz as his most memorable moment in the 2024 season. He pitched three innings and one run in the seventh inning to post his first save. "It was good to win the game without using many pitchers in the second game, and to be able to go all-in in the second game," he said, adding that it was more memorable because he contributed to the team than his record.

Lee Ji-gang continued to use number 50, and Jang Hyun-sik recently joined LG as an FA and gave up his number to Jang Hyun-sik. There was also an anecdote that he received a game console as a gift from Jang Hyun-sik by changing his number. When asked about this, he mentioned, "I was originally considering whether to change it or not."

"I agonized between wanting to change to a better and new number and whether the fans who marked the uniform would not like it. But after Hyun-sik came, I had to give up," he said, explaining the reason for the change of the number. "PlayStation 5 Pro (game machine) was asked if there was anything he wanted to receive, so I asked him to buy me a meal at first, but he asked me to choose a product, so I chose it," he said. "I somehow felt like I sold the number for money, but I thought that I was able to change it well with a good opportunity, and I am trying to prepare harder for the next season with the new number (laughs)."

"It was a turning point," he said of the Chunichi Dragons finishing camp he visited in 2024. "I have broadened my horizons by playing baseball with foreign players. I have revised the throwing mechanism a lot, and I have high expectations for the next season."

When asked in more detail about the modification of the mechanism, he said, "If you look at Japanese pitchers, they throw stronger balls even though they are smaller than us. When asked about that reason, he said he uses his lower body a lot, so he explained, "I did lower body exercises and lower body throwing exercises." "I try to deliver 100% of my body's power, even with little power. There used to be a part where my ball control flew, but these days, I feel like the target is going constant," he said, talking about how he is applying his feelings. "It's a catch ball, but I feel good because I think the ball's control and rotation have improved a lot," he said, raising expectations for his performance in the upcoming season.

Regarding the team's atmosphere, he said, "We exchange a lot of good stories within the team, regardless of whether we are field pitchers." "Older fielders such as Hyun-soo and Dong-won tell us a lot about pitchers that batters feel when they go to bat," he said, indicating the atmosphere within the team that interacts regardless of position. "Of course, Chan-gyu takes care of a lot of experience and mental aspects on the pitcher's side. Jin Sung is the catch ball mate, and he gives us a lot of advice on good posture and how the ball comes when playing catch," he said.

One of the biggest advantages of the team is its fast pitching tempo. I am aware of this. When asked about the official introduction of the pitch clock, he said, "I have little pressure. I have so many seconds left that I want to give it to another player." As for ABS, which was newly introduced in the 2024 season, he said, "It was good to hold the upper ball (with strikes) well and treat the opposite pitch as strikes when it was in the zone, but on the contrary, the ball was judged more than I thought." "At first, it was half and half (positive and negative), but after playing in a season, I think there are more good things."

In an interview with a media outlet before the start of the season, Lee Ji-gang evaluated the 2023 season with 50 points and mentioned that he wants to spend the 2024 season with around 70 points. When asked about the evaluation of the 2024 season and the target for the 2025 season now that the season is over, he answered coolly. "I played more games, but it's hard to say that it was better than the 2023 season," he began by saying. "Detailed indicators have deteriorated, and I think I got more fastballs. I think it's about 30 points for the 24th season, and I'll prepare well for the 25th season so that I can get more than 80 points," he said.

Finally, he conveyed his message to the fans. "Now it's been three years since I played in the first team properly. My fans cheered me on a lot, and I will work hard to be of help to the team for 25 more seasons," he said, expressing his goal. "I will work hard to become a season where I can win again," Lee said in expressing his ultimate goal.