After posting the best regular-season record in South Korean baseball last year en route to winning a long-awaited Korean Series title, the LG Twins sit a dozen games out of first place so far this season. The way manager Youm Kyoung-youb sees it, the key difference is in the team's inability to pull out wins in close games. "To climb up the standings, we have to get the job done in closely contested games," Youm said in a media availability before the Twins were to face the Kiwoom Heroes in a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "Last year, we were great in one-run games. This year, we've not been able to protect slim leads or we've been losing when the score was tied in late innings. I think that's the big difference between last year and this year." The Twins have a slightly higher winning percentage in one-run games with .548 (17-14) this season than the .525 mark (21-19) from last year. In two-run games, though, the Twins are just 7-11 this year, compared to 14- 12 last season. In this file photo from Sept. 3, 2024, LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb watches his team play the Kia Tigers in a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju. (Yonhap) In this file photo from Sept. 3, 2024, LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb watches his team play the Kia Tigers in a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southern city of Gwangju. (Yonhap) Youm chalked it up to struggles of the team's younger and inexperienced players to maintain consistency. He said he has been putting youngsters in the lineup not because he wanted to test them, but because his hands have been forced due to injuries to regulars. "Some of the guys have not seized their opportunity and run away with it," the manager said. "Last year, the guys who were asked to step up found some consistent success. That helped us put together winning streaks. It hasn't been the case this year." The Twins are dow n two regulars for Thursday's game. First baseman Austin Dean, the team leader in home runs and RBIs, is dealing with a stomach virus. Youm said Dean didn't come to Jamsil and was instead sent to the Twins' next road stop in Incheon, just west of Seoul, so he could rest ahead of Friday's game. Outfielder Moon Sung-ju, who returned to action Wednesday after missing nearly two months with an oblique injury, will be limited to pinch-hitting duties for the time being. Through Wednesday's action, the Twins were in third place at 68-62-2 (wins-losses-ties), 12 games behind the league-leading Kia Tigers and only 2.5 games ahead of fourth-place KT Wiz with a dozen games remaining. Source: Yonhap News Agency
Myanmar Clears Path for Junta Leader to Become President
March 30, 2026