Twins reliever grateful for chance to pitch in KBO postseason after injury scare

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- LG Twins pitcher Son Ju-young woke up one morning earlier this month with a sharp pain in his neck. Unable to turn his head, Son was not just afraid his season would be over; he even feared his career might be in jeopardy at age 27.

The left-hander was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his neck, but fortunately for him and for the Twins, the recovery went smoothly. After missing the Twins' wild card victory in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason last Wednesday, Son was placed on the roster for the next round, a best-of-five affair against the Kia Tigers.

Son, who ranked second in the KBO with 31 saves in the regular season, made his 2026 postseason debut in Game 2 of that series Sunday in the Tigers' home of Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. He struck out two batters in one clean inning, though the Twins lost the game 6-3.

"The pain was so bad, and the words 'neck disc' sounded frightening. I thought my career would be over," Son said before Game 3 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday. "But fortunately, the pain subsided quickly. I may not be 100 percent healthy, but I had no problem throwing Sunday."

Son said his mental stress of not being with the team may have been just as severe as his physical pain.

"I struggled late in the regular season, and now I was not pitching at all in the postseason, while some of my teammates were playing through injuries," Son said. "So I was determined to do whatever it took to come back. I started feeling better with each passing day, and I was able to join the guys in this series."

Son said he was surprised how hard he threw in Sunday's game, and he will need to replicate that performance Tuesday, with the Twins' season now on the brink after they lost both games on the weekend.

Son pitched in middle relief Sunday but will go back to his usual closer's duty Tuesday, if the Twins do get a lead to protect in late innings.

"I may even be asked to throw multiple innings and get six outs," Son said. "Now that we are back home, we will try to get back in this series. All it takes is one win, and if we win today, I think the momentum will be on our side."

Asked if he can pitch again Wednesday after a long outing Tuesday, Son said: "Absolutely. I think my neck will be fine. Plus, if we lose today, our season is over, and I can get my rest then."

In Son's absence, Australian left-hander Jon Kennedy has been an all-purpose workhorse for the Twins. He has thrown 2 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts so far this series. He also worked a scoreless inning against the Doosan Bears in the wild card game last week.

"I have been pitching a lot, but the body is still feeling good," Kennedy said. "I didn't want to change anything going into the postseason. I have a pretty good routine going from the regular season so I have just kept doing the same thing."

As for trying to contain a dangerous Tigers lineup, Kennedy said: "They do have some tough hitters, but I have found as long as I can execute my pitches, I have succeeded against them. When I have not executed my pitches, that is when they beat me."

Kennedy also voiced confidence the Twins can win both games at Jamsil and force a deciding Game 5 on Friday, back in Gwangju.

"Absolutely, we will find a way to do it. From a pitching standpoint, guys are excited to pitch," Kennedy said. "They are happy to adjust to any situation that comes up so I don't have any doubt that we can do that."

But can Kennedy also pitch in all five games of this series?

"I am ready for that. I will find a way to be able to do that."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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