Foreign ace who moved to the bullpen of 'LG Autumn Player' behind-the-scenes story with curve grip "I heard an interpreter threw it."

Foreign ace who moved to the bullpen of 'LG Autumn Player' behind-the-scenes story with curve grip "I heard an interpreter threw it."

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LG Twins' Elijah Hernandez is expected to become a key player in the fall baseball this season. How will he perform in the first postseason after his debut in the KBO League.메이저놀이터

"I've played in the middle of the season as well, so I'm mentally ready. All I can focus on is winning. I want to contribute to my team's victory. If I can do that, I'll do whatever I want."

This is about changing positions. There are no need for five starting pitchers in the semi-playoff. Three to four players are enough. This creates a situation where starting pitchers play as bullpens.

Hernandez will take on the role at LG. The decision was made through an interview with manager Yeom Kyung-yeop. It is said that Hernandez accepted it willingly.

Hernandez's move to the bullpen has already been predicted. This is because Hernandez was a bullpen pitcher at the end of the regular season.

In the second game of the doubleheader against the Doosan Bears on the 21st of last month, he came up in the eighth inning and allowed two scoreless innings and made a save. He was the starting pitcher in the first game of the doubleheader, but he threw a head shot to second batter Huh Kyung-min in the first inning and was sent off, and Hernandez, who had a small number of pitches, took the mound in relief in the second game of the doubleheader.

Hernandez responded, "I'm a player who enjoys competing on the mound. If the coach put me in that situation, I think it's natural to play a role that suits the situation."

After the head shot, boos poured in to Hernandez. This atmosphere can definitely be seen in the postseason. He took precaution. Hernandez said, "I think tomorrow will be even more impressive. When I double-header, I have to focus more. Sometimes when I throw it after concentration, I can't hear the outside noise well. So I just focused and threw it," before expressing his determination, "Tomorrow will probably be very noisy as well, so I will throw it after concentration."
He made his KBO League debut on Aug. 8 after signing with LG in late July. Two months have passed.

Hernandez pointed out the difference between Korean baseball and American baseball. "At first, I thought it was the same. But when I threw a few games, the opposing team knew what I was going to throw next. So, I started mixing curves aggressively. American batters take the batter's box for home runs and long balls. But Korean batters take contact-oriented hits. That's why I felt it was hard to strike out."

Hernandez began to increase the proportion of curves after realizing this difference. At the same time, the curve grip was also changed.

In particular, there was a behind-the-scenes story in changing the grip. It turned out that he learned from interpreter Jeong Jong-min.

"I learned how to curve from an interpreter (Jeong Jong-min). When I heard that he was throwing a curveball while playing as a pitcher in the Industrial League, I asked him to show me his grip," Hernandez said with a smile. Jeong said, "I learned it from Lim Chan-kyu, so he taught Hernandez."

Fortunately, Jung Jong-min's grip also hit Hernandez's hand well.

Hernandez said, "The grip I grabbed before was uncomfortable, but this grip was comfortable. I had to throw a curveball in a short period of time, but luckily it hit me well."

Hernandez's role has become important since the first round of the semi-playoff. This is because closing pitcher Yoo Young-chan is away for a while due to his father's image. Hernandez said, "I'm looking forward to it, but on the other hand, I'm nervous. I'll do what I can as a pitcher and fight well with batters," adding, "I want to help the team win and I want to win the championship. I think some sacrifices are needed to win the team. I thought it was important to throw the ball with that mind."