Is it really something that needs to be done? Another injury has occurred in the injury-riddled KIA Tigers.
The KIA Tigers have registered Kim Seok-hwan, Yoon Do-hyun, and Choi Ji-min to the first team roster ahead of their sixth season game against the KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 22nd, while 최원준, Kim Sun-bin, and Kim Ki-hoon have been removed from the roster.
The reason for Kim Sun-bin's removal is due to injury. He was substituted in the bottom of the third inning after complaining of pain in his left calf during the KT game the previous day, and examination results revealed that there was further muscle damage in the calf. A KIA official met in Suwon noted, "Last time, the inside was damaged; this time, the outside is affected. He is scheduled for a re-examination in two weeks. Since there has been damage, it seems that a period of rehabilitation will be necessary." Manager Lee Beom-ho sighed, saying, "I don't know how long it will take until his return."
Choi Won-jun was removed due to poor performance in both offense and defense. With a season batting average of .195 and a batting average of .083 in May, he was substituted due to a critical throwing error in the bottom of the first inning, and the following day, he was informed of his move to the second team. Manager Lee Beom-ho stated, "The team's offensive strength is not good, so we need to minimize the runs, but it seems that Choi Won-jun is unable to focus. Given the poor offense, he appears to be overthinking. I judged that it would be better to give him about ten days to refocus."
When asked if he had any advice for Choi Won-jun, he replied, "There was nothing specific," and emphasized, "In the last two games, he missed catchable balls. He could have prevented runs in the bottom of the first inning yesterday, but the error caused the team to collapse early on. Of course, mistakes can happen at any time, but they should be understandable to some extent. I wanted to convey a strong message to the team. Since the upcoming games are more important, I hope the players can concentrate more."
Conversely, Lee Woo-sung, who had been in a slump, made a significant hit as a pinch hitter the previous day, providing a turning point for his performance. He was thrown out while aggressively attempting to reach second base, but Manager Lee Beom-ho commented, "He got out while trying to run at his best because the defense was good. He showed passion and eagerness, and he needs to continue showing such performances. Ultimately, he has to go out there and perform well. I hope he continues to improve."
Facing the threat of a sweep loss, the KIA lineup against KT's starting pitcher William Cuevas consisted of Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Yoon Do-hyun (second baseman), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Oh Seon-woo (first baseman), Kim Seok-hwan (left fielder), Lee Woo-sung (right fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Park Jeong-woo (center fielder). Both Yoon Do-hyun and Kim Seok-hwan, who were registered to the first team, made the lineup. Pitcher Choi Ji-min, who was also promoted, immediately joined the winning squad.
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