Twins Starter Wells Leans into Self-Belief for 1st Win of KBO Season

Seoul: After his team's top two starters submitted subpar outings to begin the new season over the weekend, new LG Twins pitcher Lachlan Wells pitched a strong game Thursday to put the defending Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) champions back on track. Wells held the Kia Tigers to a run on seven hits in six innings to help the Twins to a 2-1 victory at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. The Twins have won two games in a row after dropping the first three games. According to Yonhap News Agency, it was the best outing by a Twins starter this season. In the first game of the season on Saturday, Yonny Chirinos got roughed up to the tune of six hits and six runs in just one inning of work against the KT Wiz. Then Anders Tolhurst served up seven runs on nine hits in three innings the next day. Wells, an Australian pitcher signed as an Asian quota player for this season, showed his teammates how it's done Thursday, with Park Min's RBI hit in the second inning being the only damage done against him. "I just went ou t there, and attacked the hitters and trusted my stuff," Wells said afterward. "Obviously, going to have good days, going to have bad days, but just trusting my stuff and my ability." When asked if he felt he had to pick up the slack after Chirinos and Tolhurst both struggled, Wells said, "I wouldn't say there was any pressure on myself." He added, "Those guys, I trust them to bounce back. They're good pitchers." Wells, who pitched for another KBO club, Kiwoom Heroes, last season, also thanked his teammates for playing their typically solid defense behind him. "It's awesome. Obviously, being not an overpowering pitcher, I need to rely on those guys sometimes," he said. "It's always good to have some solid defense behind you." The game also featured the first KBO showdown between Wells and Tigers shortstop Jarryd Dale, fellow Australian and a teammate of Wells' at last month's World Baseball Classic. Dale went 1-for-3 with an infield single. "It's a lot of fun competing against another Australian," Wells sa id with a smile. "He would have had the same attitude as me, trying to beat me. It's good to see another Australian in the KBO." The Twins had designs of utilizing Wells as a swingman out of the bullpen, but some injuries necessitated his move into the rotation for now. Wells said he didn't know how different of a pitcher he will be coming out of the bullpen because he hadn't yet done so here. But will he be throwing harder as a reliever? "I hope so. I hope so," Wells said with a smile.