KIA Tigers foreign pitcher Adam Oller has completed the first half of the season. Due to incomplete elbow inflammation, he canceled his last start of the first half and the All-Star Game appearance.
Manager Lee Beom-ho noted before the game against Lotte Giants on the 4th, "Oller's recovery is slower than expected. There are no significant symptoms, just a heaviness, so I thought ten days would be enough. It's better to think it's definitely okay rather than going in with a sense of unease. We decided to start the second half without pitching in the first half."
Oller was removed from the first team roster on June 28. He felt a heaviness in his right elbow. He immediately had an examination at the hospital, which revealed simple inflammation. He judged that giving it about ten days would be enough for a normal pitch. Accordingly, he was to miss one start and was scheduled to pitch against Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on the 8th.
Oller's absence also changed the operation of KIA's starting lineup. Yoon Young-chul will start as the pitcher for the game on the 8th in place of Oller. Yoon was originally scheduled to pitch against Lotte on the 6th. Having struggled against Lotte, it raised some concerns, but he naturally moved to the game against Hanwha. The manager stated, "For the game on the 6th, Kim Gun-guk will start as the pitcher."
KIA planned to field Oller, Yang Hyun-jong, and James Naill for a big match against Hanwha, who is currently in first place, in the last three games of the first half. Now, the names have changed to Yoon Young-chul, Yang Hyun-jong, and Naill. Yoon has already pitched one game against Hanwha, delivering six innings without conceding a run, so he is not considered a weak option.
Additionally, Oller's participation in the All-Star Game has also fallen through. He was named on the pitcher list as a manager's recommendation. The manager decided to send out Yoon Young-chul instead. "It doesn't seem appropriate to pitch in the All-Star Game when he can't even throw in league games. Young-chul can pitch against Hanwha and then, on the bullpen day, participate in the All-Star Game," he explained.
Meanwhile, KIA used the starting lineup for the game against Lotte, which included Go Jong-wook (left fielder), Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Wisdom (third baseman), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Oh Seon-woo (first baseman), Choi Won-jun (right fielder), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Gyu-seong (second baseman). Choi Won-jun, who had recently started from the bench, was used as a starter. His selection considered the experience against Lotte's starter Na Gyun-an.
[OSEN]