Twins pitcher earns KBO-leading 15th win, memory to last lifetime at historic stadium

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- LG Twins starting pitcher Im Chan-kyu is the rare professional athlete who has spent his entire career playing for a hometown team he grew up rooting for. And when he took the mound Wednesday for the final Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular-season game at the Twins' home, Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, the 33-year-old Seoul native tried to soak in every moment -- be it the sight of fans in the stands or just the backdrop of office buildings beyond the right field and apartment buildings on the opposite side.

The stadium, which opened in 1982, will be demolished after this season and will be replaced by a new domed stadium.

To cap a sentimental night, Im earned his 15th win of the season to move into sole possession of the KBO lead, despite giving up five runs on six hits in five innings against the Doosan Bears in a 7-5 victory.

"Throughout the game, I kept thinking about this being our last regular-season game here. It would have been a perfect night if I had pitched better, but it was out of my control," Im said. "It just means so much to be able to finish it off with a win here. I was honored to start our final regular-season game here. I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life."

Im said he has been using the same locker stall since his debut in 2011 and joked that he has more belongings in the clubhouse than in his own house.

The Twins held a postgame ceremony to mark the end of their Jamsil era, and some photos of Im from his rookie season flashed on the scoreboard.

"I was surprised someone still had pictures from that long ago," Im said with a smile. "I am grateful for my fans who have been with me for all these years, and I can't wait to see them at our new ballpark."

Im was lucky to earn his 15th win Wednesday. After his team staked him to a 3-0 lead after two innings, thanks to Lee Jae-won's three-run bomb in the bottom second, Im coughed up that lead by allowing five runs in the top third. Im recorded two outs but then allowed six straight batters to reach base via four singles, one walk and one hit-by-pitch. All five Bears runs were scored with two outs.

Im settled down to work two scoreless innings before handing the reins to the bullpen, and four relievers combined to hold the Bears to just one single over the final four frames to make a winner out of Im.

With this victory, the Twins secured at least the fourth seed and a trip to the wild card round, with a chance to move up to third place and grab a ticket to the first round.

"I tried to see this game as our first postseason game, and I threw harder than I normally do," Im said. "It gave me confidence that I can pitch well in the postseason, too. I just have to sharpen my command. This was a great way to prepare for the postseason."

Im said even during the Bears' big inning in the third, he did not give up much hard contact and he just got a little unlucky that some balls found holes through the infield.

As for getting to his career-best 15th win, Im said it was "a dream come true."

"I still have ways to go, but I am very grateful that I have been able to stay in the rotation without missing a turn," Im said. "I may not overpower batters with dominant stuff, but I keep taking the mound when my turn comes up and eat up innings. That has been my strength, and that has allowed me to pile up wins."

Im recalled that he visited Jamsil once while still in high school to collect an autographed baseball for his high school coach, who knew the teen prospect was a Twins fan and wanted to give him a chance to see the clubhouse that would soon be his home. And while still in elementary school in 2003, Im even got a photo-op with then Twins catcher Cho In-sung, who later became Im's batterymate eight years later.

"Those are all fond memories," Im said. "Maybe I will have some kids come up to me for photos someday."