Kiwoom added Cho Sang-woo (30), a key member of the team’s bullpen, to the first team roster ahead of the game against SSG at Gocheok Sky Dome on June 6. Cho, who returned to the team this year after serving in the military, had a slightly bumpy start to the season but has found his form of late, lowering his season ERA to 2.79.

As a result, many teams have been rumored to be looking to trade him, and in fact, several teams have made specific trades for him. With bullpen struggles becoming an epidemic across the KBO, the general consensus was that the value of a proven starter could be quite high. There was no reason to sell Kiwoom, but the idea was to listen to offers, and there was no reason not to. Cho will be eligible for free agency after next season.

However, the trade never happened, as Cho was sent down to the second team with shoulder pain after his July 11 start against Hanwha (two scoreless innings). He was expected to return in July, but his recovery was slower than expected and he was unable to return in time for the July schedule. It’s no wonder other teams were hesitant to trade for him, as they had to give up a first-round pick to acquire him, and there was no way to check his physical condition. Kiwoom needed him anyway. There was no reason to push for a trade, and it went nowhere.

However, when Cho returned to the first-team roster on the sixth, it was inevitable that he would be the center of attention. First, attention was focused on his physical condition. Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki said honestly that he was not 100%. So, he said that he would check his condition by using him in important situations in the seventh or eighth inning rather than in the closing innings, where he would inevitably be exhausted. Coincidentally, that check came too soon.

In the SSG game on the 6th, Kiwoom led 2-1 through six innings. Starter Ha Young-min pitched six innings of one-run ball, but Kim 온라인카지노사이트 Sung-min, the first batter out of the bullpen in the seventh, gave up a double to Choi Ji-hoon and a single to Choo Shin-soo to tie the game. The next batter was SSG’s signature Choi Jeong, who hit a home run on the day. Kiwoom countered with right-hander Cho Sang-woo. The thought was to block it and move on.

However, Cho’s stance was definitely not normal. Basically, his velocity had dropped. His fastball velocity had steadily risen from the mid-140s at the start of the season to touch 150 mph by June. He had regained much of his original velocity. However, on this day, his fastball velocity was not good. According to Trackman, which provides tracking data for all nine KBO clubs, Cho’s fastball was only 145.4 kilometers on the day, with an average of 144.5 kilometers. His velocity dropped by about 5 kilometers compared to before the injury.

Choi eventually gave up a timely double to left-center field. With a favorable count of 2S, he threw a curveball instead of a slider, and Choi handled it well. Choi said after the game that he wasn’t even thinking about the curveball. Up until this point, the batter had been hitting it well, but Heredia’s timely double over the right-field fence was clearly off the fastball. Han Yoo-seom followed with a double to right-center field, and he was stranded. He didn’t record a single out on the day, giving up two runs on three hits.

Of course, this was his first start since returning from the disabled list, and he will continue to improve. It’s reasonable to expect that after one or two good starts, he’ll be back on pace. It’s just unfortunate that the injury happened when he was at his best. Kiwoom also saw their winning streak come to an end as Cho Sang-woo failed to provide a bulwark, falling to 2-6 on the day.