Seoul: With only 84 pitches thrown through eight shutout innings Wednesday night, LG Twins starter Lachlan Wells had a golden opportunity to record his first career complete game shutout. Thanks to his efficient four-pitch mix, Wells made the Hanwha Eagles, one of the most productive offensive teams in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this season, look hapless at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. However, nursing a 3-0 lead, the Twins elected to go with closer You Young-chan, instead of giving Wells a chance to finish what he started. Wells watched as You struck out two batters to close out the 3-0 win.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Wells, who gave up just one hit and struck out a season-high seven batters, expressed a desire to finish the game. The left-hander improved to 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA. "I haven't had a complete game shutout before so it's something that obviously is a pretty cool achievement," Wells said. "But just to go out there and put the team in a position to win, and we did that."
Wells was close to achieving a "Maddux," a statistic named after MLB star Greg Maddux for completing a game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches. Maddux had 13 such performances since 1988. Wells, who threw a combination of four-seam fastballs, changeups, curveballs, and sliders, discussed his wish to pitch the ninth inning with pitching coach Kim Kwang-sam but was told otherwise.
The Hanwha Eagles, who rank high in several offensive categories this KBO season, were limited to a single hit and only one runner in scoring position against Wells. Signed as an Asian quota player, Wells attributed his performance to a solid game plan made with catcher Park Dong-won and coach Sam. He navigated through the game without allowing any base runner in seven of the eight innings and faced minimal trouble in the fourth inning.
The Twins acquired Wells to be a versatile reliever, but an injury to starter Son Ju-young placed him in the starting rotation. With Yonny Chirinos now injured as well, Wells is expected to remain a starter for the foreseeable future. Despite the uncertainty of his role, Wells emphasizes the team's success. "I'd like to stay in the starter role, but if I'm going to go back to the bullpen for the team, then I go back to the bullpen for the team," he said. "As long as I can go out there and do my job in any role and we win games, that's all that matters."