Australian pitcher Lachlan Wells (28), who joined the Kiwoom Heroes as a foreign player to replace an injured athlete, will make his debut not as a reliever but as a starter.

Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki said before the game against Hanwha in Daejeon on the 22nd, "Wells will not be in the bullpen today. He will prepare to start on Wednesday (25th against KIA at Gocheok). His pitch count will be around 60 to 70, and he should be limited to under 70."

Wells, who entered the country on the 13th, also had the possibility of being on standby in the bullpen for the weekend game against Hanwha. However, with the games on the 20th and 21st against Hanwha canceled due to rain, the pitchers had enough rest, and Wells decided to follow the starting routine for his debut.

After existing foreign pitcher Kenny Rosenberg received a diagnosis requiring six weeks of treatment to recover from a left hip injury, Kiwoom quickly brought in Wells as a replacement foreign player. He signed a six-week contract for $30,000.

Wells, an Australian native, recorded a 5-1 record with an earned run average of 3.17 for the Adelaide Giants in the Australian league for the 2024-2025 season. He was also awarded the MVP of the Australian league for the 2023-2024 season. He is evaluated as having stable control and strong inning-eating ability.

Meanwhile, Kiwoom will adjust its starting rotation order. According to the original order, Hayoung-min, the local ace, should start against KIA on the 24th, but he is still experiencing some effects from hitting his ankle with a batted ball.

Manager Hong Won-ki noted, "I think we will have to push Hayoung-min's start back by 2 to 3 days. We are considering starting either Kim Yun-ha or Jeong Hyun-woo on the 24th," adding, "It seems like our pitchers are often getting hit by batted balls. Jo Young-gun was also hit on the ankle by a batted ball and had to tape it up before going back out."

Won Jong-hyun was also hit in the right rib by a ground ball from Jo Hyeong-woo with two outs in the 8th inning against SSG on the 19th, but fortunately, it was not a serious injury. Manager Hong said about Won's condition, "He is fine. Resting for two days due to rain helped," expressing disappointment that, "If we had won that day, it would have been a heroic effort, but it all got overshadowed by the comeback loss."

At that time, Won Jong-hyun quickly retrieved the ball that hit him and threw it to first base to end the inning, maintaining the one-run lead in the 8th. However, in the 9th inning, closer Joo Seung-woo allowed a game-tying solo home run to Choi Ji-hoon, and they lost 4-2 after a close contest in the 11th inning.

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