"I developed a finger blister."
Kiwoom Heroes' native ace Ha Young-min revealed the reason for being overturned after pitching well. It was due to a finger blister.
On the 27th, in the game against the KIA Tigers in Gwangju, he held off the opposing team without allowing a run until the fourth inning, but in the fifth inning, he gave up 3 points and lost the lead. The team also lost 5-7, marking their eighth consecutive defeat.
He allowed runners on base each inning but managed to avert the crisis with precise pitching. However, in the bottom of the fifth with no outs and runners on first and second, he induced a double play against Oh Sun-woo but allowed a run when he gave up a timely hit to Kim Do-young. Then he was hit with a two-run homer by Choi Hyung-woo.
Choi Hyung-woo, who achieved his 2,500th career hit with this homer, explained the secret to hitting the homer after the game, saying, "The forkball was different from the first inning, so I was confident."
Manager Hong Won-ki explained the reason ahead of the mid-week second game against KIA on the 28th, saying, "I don’t want to make excuses, but there was a slight problem from the third inning due to a finger blister. I think it's having an effect. It’s a process of shedding the callus and having new skin come up."
He added, "Rosenberg will return on Saturday (31st) for the Doosan game. I won’t be resting Young-min, but I will give him a break for about 2-3 days. If he goes in next Thursday or Friday, I think he will recover sufficiently."
Kiwoom will attempt to break its eight-game losing streak, fielding young gun Kim Yeon-joo. He has pitched well with only 1 run over 10 innings in the last two games. "I gained confidence after securing my first win as a starter. I’m on the rise. If today's performance is good, the number of innings and pitches could increase as long as my stamina holds up," he expressed his expectations.
Kiwoom's starting lineup includes Song Seung-mun (third baseman), Choi Joo-hwan (first baseman), Cardenas (right fielder), Lee Joo-hyung (center fielder), Lee Won-seok (designated hitter), Kim Keon-hee (catcher), Lee Hyung-jong (left fielder), Oh Sun-jin (second baseman), and Eo Jun-seo (shortstop).
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