The resilient rise: LG Twins' triumph

There are people whose hearts race at the sound of the LG Twins' baseball team theme song, ‘Jilpoong Gado’ (translated as ‘Whirlwind of Power’ in English) and those who don't. This team chant, once a theme song for an animated film series, is hailed by sports fans as 'a song that rallies the crowd for the team.' It gained national attention when played on live TV as the LG Twins clinched victory in the Korean Series, the nation's professional baseball league, after 29 years.

LG led with the highest number of 101 stolen base failures, surpassing all 51 professional teams in the Korean, Japanese, and U.S. baseball leagues this season. None of the teams in these three nations exceeded 50 stolen base failures, except for LG. That is precisely why LG's stolen base success rate is a mere 62.2% despite successfully achieving 166 stolen bases, the second-highest in the leagues. Sabermetrics suggests that running the game with a stolen base success rate below 75% is more detrimental than beneficial. The high-flying LG Twins experienced significant challenges this season due to their numerous stolen base failures.

LG Twins manager Yeom Kyeong-yeop, in his debut season with the team, took a different approach. Despite scrutiny over the number of failed stolen bases by the fans and the press, he prioritized making the team more aggressive in running the game. Yeom emphasized that stealing bases contributed to his players' growth and passion. The strategy proved successful, with LG's games becoming compelling - failed stolen bases correlated with a higher winning rate at 0.767 (56 wins, one tie, 17 defeats), whereas no stolen base failures resulted in a lower winning rate at 0.435 (30 wins, one tie, 39 defeats).

LG Twins' hard-earned victory recalls a photo exhibition titled 'Moments of Failure Captured in Day-to-Day Life' in October 2023, organized by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, which established the Center for Ambitious Failure (CAF) in 2021. Among the photos, 'If someone can just lift you back up' drew the most attention. Featuring a white chair fallen on the grass with the subtitle ' Even though you're currently down, you'll be up and running in no time with your sturdy, intact four legs if someone can just lift you back up,' it conveys a message of resilience. The CAF director highlighted the purpose of the exhibition—to share the universal experiences of failure, reassuring individuals that they are not alone in their struggles. LG Twins likely navigated a similar challenging path of failures to achieve their grand victory. Therefore, we should lean on each other for support and persevere until our hearts stop racing, echoing the sentiment expressed in the team chant.

Concluding with additional lyrics from the song seems fitting: 'In this lonely battle to face the world, I trust our friendship will stand by me. Grant me unwavering courage once again, so I won't yield to the surging waves. I run with renewed hope towards the expansive field and you."