Im Chan-kyu’s First Win: How His New Pitching Techniques Led LG Twins to Victory!

Daniel Kim 2026.04.25 Views

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[MyDaily — Jamsil, Kim Hee-soo] Finally, Im Chan-kyu’s earnest adjustments paid off.

The LG Twins beat the Doosan Bears 4-1 on April 24 at Seoul’s Jamsil Baseball Stadium in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League matchup. It was LG’s first win in this season’s Jamsil derby.

Starter Im Chan-kyu earned his first win of the season in his fifth start, holding Doosan to one run over 5 2/3 innings. After the game in the dugout, Im said, “The other starters have pitched so well that I had time to readjust. The manager, the coaches and I met every day to prepare, so I’m relieved to see that work pay off.”

Im credited three major adjustments for the turnaround. The first was working the high zone more. “Over the past three years I relied heavily on ABS and beat hitters by changing tempo. But hitters have studied me, and I realized tempo alone wouldn’t be enough. The manager suggested using the high zone. I used to throw mostly below the middle of the zone, but actively targeting the high zone produced better results,” he said.

The second change was in his intensity and pace. Im raised his fastball average to 144 km/h (about 89.4 mph) and topped out at 147 km/h (about 91.3 mph), attacking hitters with full effort from the outset. “I usually pitch better when the weather warms in May, but this time I decided to throw every inning with maximum effort. That shift in approach helped change the flow of the game,” he explained.

Im added, “With the other starters pitching so well, I felt I had something to prove. I came out strong in the first inning. Being determined doesn’t make the ball automatically better, but since things hadn’t been going well, I forced myself to throw with more resolve.”

The third adjustment was adding a sweeper to his repertoire. “Three days earlier, I learned the sweeper from Hyun-jin Ryu. Against Yang Seok-hwan, the sweeper landed as intended and produced a third-base grounder. It turned into an infield hit, but it felt great. It was a good attempt, though against Lee Yu-chan the pitch ran a bit wide. I need more practice,” Im said.

Im said he threw about five sweepers in the game. “I gripped it how it felt natural and, as Hyun-jin told me, aimed toward the hitter’s hip so it would sweep in. It worked. I’m not fully comfortable with it yet, so it ran on Lee Yu-chan, but combined with my existing pitches it should provide a useful variation,” he added.

There was a single motivating reason behind the changes. “I wanted to find a breakthrough. Buying a lottery ticket doesn’t guarantee a win, but it feels good for a few days. After learning the sweeper, I looked forward to getting back on the mound and prepared with that excitement,” Im reflected, describing how the small spark helped him climb out of a slump.

Having poured in that effort to chase his first win, Im finally stood as the winning pitcher. The question now is whether his sincere adjustments will continue to pay off in the next start and throughout the season.