In the 2023 KBO League, injured players have appeared one after another from the beginning of the season, and most clubs are complaining of difficulties. In particular, injuries to players who boarded the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team, which took place in March, are continuing.
The LG Twins, which has the most six players selected for the WBC national team, have two of them left due to injury. Closer Woo-seok Ko and starting shortstop Oh Ji-hwan.
Ko Woo-seok pitched in relief against the Orix Buffaloes in Japan on March 6, right before the opening of the WBC, but suffered a neck pain and was judged. He was initially known to have minor injuries, but his WBC appearance was ultimately missed. South Korea failed to avoid the collapse of the mound and elimination in the first round, due to the departure of Go Woo-seok, who became the league’s save king with 42 saves last year and was likely to finish the national team.스포츠토토
Ko Woo-seok returned to Korea and returned to his team, LG, but was unable to make the opening entry due to shoulder pain. LG has been playing the season without finishing since the opening. Ko Woo-seok’s return is expected to be a weekend match against the Doosan Bears, which will be held at Jamsil Stadium from the 14th.
In addition, LG shortstop Oh Ji-hwan felt pain in his side ahead of the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes match on the 6th, and the pain recurred during batting practice the next day, the 7th. Recovery is expected to take more than two weeks. LG has no choice but to appoint veteran infielder Kim Min-seong as shortstop, not a professional shortstop.
For the KIA Tigers, Na Seong-beom, the best batter in the team, was absent for eight weeks due to muscle damage in his right calf. Na Seong-beom played only 2 out of 4 WBC group stage games, and was sluggish with no hits and 2 strikeouts in 5 at-bats. It seems that his physical condition has not been normal since this time.
After returning to Korea, Na Seong-beom could not participate in the demonstration game and was not included in the opening entry. At first, it appeared to be a minor injury, but upon reexamination, it was confirmed that the extent of the injury was more severe than expected. Since the beginning of the season, KIA has been struggling due to the lack of power in the center of the batting line due to the absence of Na Seong-beom.
Young ace So-Jun Sohn left the kt Wiz due to an injury. Joon Sohn was selected for the WBC national team and was on the national team for the first time since his professional debut. However, he had a 5.40 earned run average with 1 hit, 1 walk and 2 runs while pitching a total of 3.1 innings in 2 games for the WBC.
So Joon So-jun started against Suwon LG on the 2nd, the second game of the opening, but was battered with 10 hits, 1 walk, and 9 runs in 2.1 innings, and was extremely sluggish. Afterwards, he complained of pain in the right forearm muscle and was canceled from the first team entry on the 4th. He is expected to strike out for his comeback after taking a two-week break.
This year, not only the WBC, but also the Hangzhou Asian Games at the end of September during the season, and the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) in November after the season ends, will be held in succession. It seems that the injury variables of players who prepare for and participate in international competitions will influence the KBO league game this year and next year. Attention is focusing on when the key resources of each team that departed at the beginning of the season will be able to return.
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