Professional baseball team LG Twins' homegrown ace Im Chan-gyu has suffered a major personal loss ahead of his scheduled starting appearance in Game 2 of the semi-playoffs (Semi-PO).

The LG club announced today (October 17) that Choi Yoon-jung, Im's mother-in-law, passed away at the age of 57.

The wake has been set up at the Cheongdam-dong Cathedral in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, with the funeral procession scheduled for October 19.

Im is set to take the mound as the starting pitcher for Game 2 of the semi-playoffs against the KIA Tigers, which will be held on October 18 at the Gwangju-KIA Champions Field in South Jeolla Province.

An LG official stated, "There is no change to Im Chan-gyu's starting assignment."

LG lost 1-5 to the KIA Tigers earlier today in Game 1 of the semi-playoffs (best-of-five series).

The team faces a difficult situation where they must win three of the remaining four games to advance to the playoffs.

Ahead of the semi-playoffs against the KT Wiz in 2024, LG also faced a situation where a key player experienced a family tragedy.

At the time, closer Yoo Young-chan returned to pitch after mourning the passing of his father.

(Photo: Yonhap News)