KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho could not hide his dismay over the car accident involving pitcher Hwang Dong-ha.
Hwang was involved in a traffic accident near the away accommodation in Incheon on the 8th. The KIA team officially announced on the 9th, "Hwang Dong-ha was transferred to Songdo Plus Hospital after a vehicle collision on the 8th, where he underwent CT and MRI examinations. He was advised that he would need to wear a brace and rest for six weeks due to fractures of the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae 2 and 3."
On the 9th, after meeting at Incheon SSG Landers Field, Lee Beom-ho noted, “He said a vehicle ignoring the signal struck him while he was crossing the crosswalk, so there was nothing he could do. From the team's perspective, it's really concerning because we now have one less player, and it's the most crucial fifth starter who is pitching well right now.”
Hwang was crossing the crosswalk on his way back to the hotel after finishing a meal when a right-turning vehicle disregarded the pedestrian signal and struck him. It was not a light contact accident; he was hit by the vehicle and flew into the air before falling. Lee said, “Fortunately, he didn't fall on his arm. If he had injured his arm...”
The first half of the season is effectively over. He will have to wear a brace for six weeks and wait for the bones to heal. After that, he will have to do rehabilitation exercises, and it will likely be two months before he can return to pitching. Consideration should be given to his return in the latter half of the season.
Hwang, who joined KIA as the 65th overall pick in the 7th round of the 2022 rookie draft, has been a starter since late April last year, contributing to the team's overall victory with a record of 5 wins, 7 losses, and an earned run average of 4.44 over 25 games (22 starts). He effectively filled the gap left by Lee Eui-ri due to an elbow injury.
This season, he started off as a bullpen pitcher after failing to secure the fifth starter position. Following Yoon Young-cheol's absence from the starting lineup, he had a temporary starting opportunity again at the end of April. On the 7th against Kiwoom, he pitched five innings, allowing two hits, striking out four, and giving up one run. He has appeared in 13 games this season with a record of 1 win, 2 losses, and an earned run average of 5.52.
Yoon Young-cheol will return to the starting position vacated by Hwang due to injury. Lee noted, “Young-cheol will take that fifth starter spot. He has prepared well, and he may have worried about what it would be like to be a starter previously. Now, we need to give him enough time to come back. He should be more mentally stable now, and I believe he will pitch well.”
Yoon Young-cheol has appeared in three games this season with a record of three losses and an earned run average of 15.88. He was removed from the first-team roster on April 19 but returned to the active roster on the 2nd. He has not pitched in any games since his return.
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