KIA’s 3 out of 5 starters are out, so they’re in first place


The KIA Tigers have lost starting pitcher Yoon Young-cheol to injury. With foreign pitchers Will Crowe and Lee Lee leaving the team due to injuries, KIA has lost three of its five starting pitchers this season. Despite this, the Tigers are still in first place, which is quite remarkable.

“Yoon Young-cheol was examined today at two hospitals (Sejong Sports Orthopedics and Leon Orthopedics),” the KIA Tigers said on Friday, “and as a result, he was diagnosed with a spinal fatigue fracture.”

“Yoon Young-chul will undergo another medical examination in three weeks. The timing of his return will be determined after the examination.”

Yoon started the home game against the SSG Landers on March 13, but after pitching two scoreless innings, he was removed in the third inning. He left the field, handing the mound over to Lim Ki-young. The next day, on the 14th, Yoon was removed from the first team roster, and on the 15th, he visited two hospitals to get a more accurate assessment of his condition, but was diagnosed with a vertebral stress fracture. Yoon will now take three weeks off and focus on rehabilitation.

Kia was touted as the favorite to win the title heading into the season, especially after the team’s recent signings of Will Crowe and James Nail, who have not been able to rely on foreign pitching in recent years. On top of that, KIA already had a strong homegrown starting rotation. At the top of the rotation is Yang Hyun-jong, who was one of the best pitchers in the KBO League. He was followed by Lee Yi-ri, who won the Rookie of the Year award after going 4-5 with a 3.61 ERA in 19 games in 2021, his rookie year.

The fifth starter, Yoon Young-cheol, was highly anticipated. In his first year, Yoon went 8-7 with a 4.40 ERA last season and showed promise as a full-time starter. This season, he continued to excel. He has started 16 games this season, going 7-4 with a 4.30 ERA. In 75 1/3 innings, he allowed 76 hits (8 home runs), 40 walks, 55 strikeouts, 42 메이저사이트 runs (36 earned), a WHIP of 1.54, and a batting average of .264. He pitched three quality starts (6 innings or less).

The starting rotation of Nail, Crowe, Yang Hyun-jong, Lee Yi-ri, and Yoon Young-cheol seemed to be as strong as any team in the KBO. However, Lee Yi-ri was the first to leave. Lee hasn’t taken the mound since May 29 against the NCs. After being diagnosed with an elbow sprain in April, Lee was diagnosed with partial ligament damage in his left elbow. After debating between injections and surgery, Lee decided to go under the knife. Lee was ruled out for the season last month after undergoing a left elbow medial collateral ligament reconstruction and bone chip removal.

Crowe also left the team around the same time. Crowe left for the U.S. in mid-May after feeling pain in his elbow at the end of the May 4 game against Hanwha. On June 1, he underwent medial collateral ligament reconstruction surgery. Still, Kia was quick to fill the void. They signed Cam Aldred, 27, to replace Crowe. Since June 8, he has started six games, going 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA. The team has also been utilizing Hwang Dong-ha as a starter since late April. Yoon Young-chul’s absence will be filled by Kim Gun-guk. Kim has appeared in 20 games (two starts) this season, going 1-1 with a 7.86 ERA.

Kia is 52-35-2 this season, 4.5 games behind second-place Samsung and 5.5 games behind third-place LG and Doosan. Most importantly, the team has a solid offensive and defensive lineup, with a team batting average of .295 and a team ERA of 4.44. Kia will host Samsung at Anbang this week before traveling to Daejeon for a three-game series against Hanwha on the weekend. Still, Kia is holding on to the lead despite the loss of three key starters, but will they be able to handle their biggest crisis in the second half of the season?


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