Why did Doosan take their ace, a current Major League Baseball player, off the mound after just 76 pitches?

Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeob explained the background for substituting pitcher Kollarvin after 76 pitches during a press meeting ahead of the 5th game of the season against the LG Twins in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, scheduled to take place at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 6th.

Doosan's ace Kollarvin started the game on the 5th against LG, attaining a record of 5 wins (2 losses) after throwing 76 pitches with 4 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts, and allowing 1 run over 6 innings. He produced a clean quality start and led the team to its 3rd consecutive win, but he did not take the mound for the 7th inning, handing the baton to Park Chi-guk, raising questions. Despite having had a 4-day rest since the KT Wiz game on April 30, the number of pitches thrown seemed low considering his status as the ace.

Lee Seung-yeob noted, "He was losing strength, and he was struggling himself. Of course, from our perspective, we would expect the ace to throw more than 100 pitches, but after discussing everything, it seemed that was the right time to stop."

Kollarvin had also allowed 4 walks the previous day, making it difficult for himself in the game. In his last 3 games, he has given up 12 walks. Lee Seung-yeob analyzed, "After discussing with the pitching coach, it seems Kollarvin has a tendency to grip the ball very tightly, so he was advised to ease his grip on the ball recently. It seems the ball is coming out quickly as he eases his grip, but the biggest cause seems to be that he is losing strength."

After the game, Kollarvin explained, "I came out a bit early to show a better performance in the next game due to the short rest." It remains to be seen whether he can regain his innings-eater status after a 5-day rest instead of 4.

Meanwhile, Doosan set their starting lineup against LG ace Yoni Chirinos with Jeong Su-bin (center fielder), Kim In-tae (left fielder), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Oh Myung-jin (third baseman), Kang Seung-ho (second baseman), Park Jun-young (shortstop), and Jo Soo-haeng (right fielder).

Regarding the exclusion of foreign player Jake Cave from the starting lineup, Lee Seung-yeob explained, "His knee isn't good, so it seems we need to give him a day off. There have been cases like this before, so we will let him rest today and check his condition tomorrow. Given the current situation, it seems difficult for him to come in as a pinch hitter today."

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