Son Ju-young breaks winless streak, reaches personal first 20 saves

LG Twins closer Son Ju-young has finally broken through his "nine-year curse," achieving his personal first 20 saves in a game against the Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday. Son, who stepped into the closer role due to teammate Yoo Young-chan's injury, has been remarkably consistent, recording 19 saves since May 13 without a single blown save.

Despite a shaky performance in recent games where he allowed home runs, Son delivered a solid performance on Sunday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning with one hit, one walk, and one strikeout to secure the 5-3 victory. This achievement marks a significant milestone for the pitcher, who had no saves before this season and recorded a personal best of 11 wins as a starter last year.

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I was bored and disappointed because I couldn't get a save situation for about three weeks. I felt like my sense was dulled from resting for so long, so I told Park Dong-won that I wanted to throw a lot of fastballs.

Son expressed his relief and anticipation for the latter half of the season. "I was bored and disappointed because I couldn't get a save situation for about three weeks," he said. "I felt like my sense was dulled from resting for so long, so I told [catcher] Park Dong-won that I wanted to throw a lot of fastballs." He followed through, throwing fastballs as the first pitch to all five batters he faced.

With the third-place LG Twins struggling in the second half, Son's reliable performance is vital for their championship aspirations. "My performance wasn't great at the start of the second half, but I hope this game will be a turning point, and I will prepare to completely shut down the back end from now on," Son stated. The team's success hinges on his continued stability in the crucial closing role.

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My performance wasn't great at the start of the second half, but I hope this game will be a turning point, and I will prepare to completely shut down the back end from now on.