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LG Twins pin hope on 2 Olympians
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Posted on Jan 25 2009
With two Olympians and a new infielder in their lineup, the team manager of one of Korea’s professional baseball teams sees a brighter prospect this season for the LG Twins, who are on Saipan for a month-long training camp.
“I can see a better team compared to last year. Our new players are very aggressive. Pitching was our biggest problem and we hope to make up this time. We’re here to improve that aspect,” Kim said.
Leading the pitching lineup are Bong Joong Keun and Park Myeong Hwan.
Bong played for the Korean National Team and helped the Koreans won the gold medal against Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Also part of that Olympic gold medal team was the Twins’ outfielder Lee Jin Young.
The Twins, who finished last in the eight-team league last year, took the former SK Wyverns’ LJ Young from the free agency market, along with infielder Sung Hoon Chung of Heroes.
Kim hopes that Bong and Lee JY will use their Olympic experience to inspire their teammates in their bid to regain the crown.
The Twins won the title during their first year in the league in 1990 with Kim on the team.
They won their second crown in 1994, but are now on a 14-year title drought.
For the past three years, the Twins had been holding their off-season training camp on Saipan.
“The weather here is hot. It’s cold in Korea now, so we are basically here for physical conditioning. It is good for the players to build their muscles,” Kim said.
The Twins are conducting their training at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield and the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield, which are closed for local tournaments to give way to the spring training camp.
Kim said the rough surface and small size of the two ballfields at the Oleai Sports Complex are ideal for such training camp.
Meanwhile, the Lotte Giants, another Korean pro baseball team, are also holding a separate camp at the Kan Pacific facility in Marpi.
These training camps help boost the dwindling tourism industry in the CNMI.
The Twins are staying at the Fiesta Resort and Spa Saipan. They brought in 43 players, 10 coaches, and five trainers on Saipan.
