Another player has been injured on the Kia Tigers. Left-handed pitcher Kwak Do-kyu, who led the team to victory in 2024, has been diagnosed with damage to the left elbow flexor muscle and is out.

Kwak Do-kyu pitched in the 8th inning against the SSG Landers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 11th but was removed after allowing a hit and a walk. All resulted in runs.

He felt abnormal symptoms in his elbow during the appearance. Pitching coach Chung Jae-hoon went up to check and it led to his immediate removal. After an MRI examination at the team’s designated hospital, Seonhan Hospital, he was diagnosed with flexor damage.

The club's public relations team noted, "Yesterday, he underwent examination at Seonhan Hospital and was diagnosed with damage to the left elbow flexor muscle. Since it is an important area, he will undergo a reexamination to accurately determine the condition. A double check will take place in Seoul next Monday. The final results will be available then."

Kwak Do-kyu, now in his third year, was a key player in last year’s championship as a left-handed specialist. He appeared in 71 games during the season, recording 4 wins, 2 losses, 2 saves, and 16 holds, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.56. He won 2 games in the Korean Series as well. He was impregnable against left-handed batters like Lewin Diaz and Kim Young-woong from Samsung.

However, this year he has not displayed the same effectiveness as last year. Although he was part of the opening day’s strong bullpen, he has only 3 holds in 9 games with an ERA of 13.50.

Kia is suffering from a decrease in scoring ability due to injuries: Kim Do-young has a hamstring injury and Kim Sun-bin has a calf injury. Park Chan-ho has also been out for ten days due to a knee injury. Despite having no injuries on the mound, the injury to Kwak Do-kyu has dealt another shock to the team.

On that day, veteran Kim Dae-yu was called up to the first team instead of Kwak Do-kyu. Catcher Han Seung-taek and infielder Oh Seon-woo were also promoted, while catcher Han Jun-soo and infielder Choi Jeong-yong were sent down.

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