LG Twins starting pitcher Im Chan-kyu will take the mound for Game 2 of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason semi-playoff against the Kia Tigers on Sept. 18 at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field, despite a family bereavement.
LG Twins Turn to Starter for Series Equalizer in Gwangju
The LG Twins enter the second game of the best-of-five semi-playoff needing a victory to level the series after dropping the opener 1-5 to the Kia Tigers. Manager Yeom Gyeong-yeop’s squad struggled to contain Kia batter Kim Do-young in the first matchup, where Kim delivered two home runs and four RBIs across three plate appearances. To counter the deficit, LG confirmed that Im will retain his scheduled starting role.
Im anchors the Twins’ rotation as a franchise player drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft. Across 381 career appearances spanning 1,539.2 innings, he holds a 101-92 record with eight saves, six holds, and a 4.37 ERA. He put together a strong regular season campaign in 2026, making 31 appearances over 169.2 innings to finish with a 15-7 record and a 4.46 ERA, sharing the league’s most-wins title alongside KT Wiz pitcher Ko Young-pyo.
Personal Loss Shadows Playoff Preparation
The start comes just a day after the LG club announced that Im’s mother-in-law, Choi Yun-jung, passed away on the afternoon of Sept. 17 at age 57. Her funeral hall was established at a church in Seoul’s Gangnam district ahead of a Sept. 19 funeral. Despite the personal tragedy, an LG club official stated that plans for Im to pitch Game 2 remained unchanged.
Opposing Im on the mound for the Kia Tigers will be Adam Oller, who recorded an 11-10 record and a 3.13 ERA during the regular season under manager Lee Bum-ho. The game marks a critical juncture for the Twins as they attempt to bounce back on the road at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field.
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