The Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization have been ravaged by injuries since Kim Kyung-moon’s first day as head coach. The most experienced outfielder, Kim Kang-min (42), was unable to travel to Suwon after suffering a head shot.
Hanwha held an inauguration ceremony and press conference for Kim Kyung-moon, who was appointed as the 14th head coach of the team, at the Hanwha Life Eagles Park PR Center in Daejeon on March 3. After meeting with the players, Kim immediately traveled to Suwon to prepare for the upcoming match against KT Wiz on the 4th.
However, Hanwha removed Kim Kang-min from the first team roster on the same day. The previous day (Feb. 2), 안전놀이터 추천 Kim was hit in the helmet by a three-pitch fastball from opposing pitcher Connor Seabold in the top of the seventh inning at Samsung Electronics in Daegu.
The pitch, clocked at 145 kilometers per hour on the PTS, flew toward Kim’s head with no time to dodge.
Under the head shot rule, Conner was ejected and Kim was replaced by pinch-hitter Lee Sang-hyuk.
Connor, who thought the ball had hit his bat and was fouled off, spread his arms in disbelief when the umpire ordered him to leave. An angry Kim Kang-min headed to the mound in shock, and players from both teams came out to clear the benches for a brief confrontation. Connor apologized, and the situation was cleared without further incident.
However, Kim complained of dizziness after being hit by the ball and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for a checkup. The impact was too much for him and he was told that he needed to rest for a while, so he was removed from the first team lineup.
It’s a big loss for Kim Kang-min personally and for the Hanwha team as well, as he’s leaving while he’s still hitting well. Kim, who was selected by Hanwha in the second round of the draft last November after 23 years with SK-SSG, has been on fire this season, batting 2-for-9 (16-for-54) with one home run, six RBIs, and a .729 OPS in 28 games.
He struggled to find his groove at the start of the season. A mild hamstring strain sidelined him for 15 days from April 25 to May 9, but after returning on May 10, he exploded onto the scene, going 4-for-14 (34 RBI) with one home run, six RBI, and a 1.000 OPS in 17 games. While not a full-time starter, he was in the lineup when left-handed pitchers were starting and was utilized as a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner.
However, an unexpected headshot injury sidelined him again.
This was not good news for new head coach Kim Kyung-moon. “I think the older players will be used a little more than the younger ones,” Kim said at the press conference about his plans for the rest of the season, which will start without one of his top cards in Kim Kang-min.
In the best of all possible worlds, right-hander Lee Min-woo, who was replaced by Park Byung-ho in the eighth inning against Samsung Electronics on Feb. 2 after complaining of elbow pain, was found to be fine. Lee Min-woo has been a stalwart of the Hanwha bullpen this season, going 1-0 with a 2.49 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 29 games (25⅓ innings) with one win, one loss, one save and six holds.
In addition to Kim, 12 other players were removed from the roster on March 3, including LG pitcher Lim Chan-kyu, KT outfielder Ahn Hyun-min, SSG pitcher Lee Ki-soon, NC pitcher Lim Jung-ho, Doosan pitchers Park Chi-guk and Choi Jae-in, Lotte pitcher Choi Joon-yong, Samsung outfielder Kim Hyun-joon, infielder Yang Woo-hyun, and Kiwoom pitchers Kim Jae-woong and Jeon Jun-pyo.
Lim Chan-kyu, who was scheduled to start against Kiwoom in Jamsil on April 4 but felt back muscle pain while pitching in the bullpen on April 2, 안전 토토사이트 was designated for assignment to rest. LG announced four-year right-hander Lee Bi-deum as the starter against Kiwoom on April 4. He has no first-team experience, but is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 15 strikeouts in five games (18 1/3 innings) in the Futures League this year.
In addition, Lee Ki-soon and Kim Jae-woong were removed from the roster to prepare for their enlistment in the Armed Forces Athletic Corps (Commerce) on Tuesday.