Twins manager says players ready to erase regular-season disappointment with deep postseason run

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- As the LG Twins prepared to begin their South Korean baseball postseason Wednesday, manager Youm Kyoung-youb said he would have preferred a much later start.

In the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), teams receive byes to postseason rounds depending on where they finish in the regular season. For instance, the regular-season champions advance directly to the championship Korean Series, while the runners-up grab a ticket to the penultimate series in the postseason.

The Twins, the 2025 Korean Series champions, had designs on getting the coveted Korean Series bye. They were in first place in July, just before the All-Star break. But a midsummer swoon cost them a chance to do so, and they ended up in fourth place after some subpar performances in October.

It means the Twins will open their postseason play in the wild card round against the fifth-seed Doosan Bears.

"I think our players were really disappointed with the way our regular season played out, and they are really motivated to wash away those feelings with a strong postseason run," Youm said in his pregame media availability at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "We will try to go as deep as we can, under the circumstances."

Those circumstances are far from ideal for the Twins. Their bullpen was already decimated by injuries, and just before the postseason, they lost closer Son Ju-young to a herniated disc in his neck.

The Twins already lost closer You Young-chan to a season-ending elbow injury in April. Their former All-Star closer, Go Woo-suk, rejoined them in September after a cup of coffee with the Minnesota Twins in the majors, but players must be on an active roster by July 31 to be eligible for the postseason.

Without those key relievers, Youm said he will take a "closer-by-committee" approach and consider the individual matchups in a save situation.

Former big leaguer Carlos Carrasco will start for the Twins, and the Bears will counter with Gwak Been, who led the KBO with a 2.24 ERA and 197 strikeouts this year.

Youm said the keys for his team Wednesday will be how well Carrasco can match Gwak pitch for pitch and how much his hitters can make the Bears right-hander work.

Youm, who also led the Twins to the 2023 championship, said veterans with postseason experience must step up. The list includes outfielder Hong Chang-ki, a key part of those two championship runs coming off his worst regular season.

"Some of those guys suffered through a tough regular season, but I always think the postseason is different," Youm said. "We need our veterans to carry the load and have a positive impact on the rest of the lineup."

Another key batter for the Twins will be rookie first baseman Moon Jeong-bin, who will make his postseason debut at the cleanup spot.

The 23-year-old finished second among rookies this season with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs. He batted a robust .457 in October while striking out only eight times in 35 at-bats.

"He was our best hitter down the stretch, and I think he is capable of continuing that trend in the postseason," Youm said. "As he goes through the gauntlet of the postseason, he will grow into a core piece for our team."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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