What happened to KIA’s 21-year-old left-handed fireballer? Suddenly, 134km ‘suddenly’… Kim Jong-kook, Ryu Joong-il ‘worried’
What happened to Lee Yi-ri (21, KIA)?
Lee gave up two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks in four innings against the Suwon KT on April 22. By the fourth inning, he had thrown 76 pitches. He was still struggling to manage his pitches, but it looked like he would be able to get through the fifth inning.
Lee was relieved by Jang Hyun-sik to start the fifth inning. Kia then officially announced that Lee was sidelined due to shoulder pain. The signs were there. Lee is a fireballer, with a fastball that sits around 145 mph. When he’s in good shape, he can hit 150. 소닉카지노
Once or twice that day, I was up to 146-147km. It was nothing out of the ordinary. He threw a 145-kilometer fastball to Kim Sang-soo, the last batter in the second inning, and then suddenly threw a 135-kilometer fastball to Ahn Chi-young, the leadoff hitter in the third inning. After that, Jang Sung-woo and Moon Sang-chul didn’t use fastballs, but only changeups and curves. They were center field, so there was no time to make any adjustments.
Doubt turned to confidence in the fourth inning. He threw a 138 mph fastball to Hwang Jae-gyun, the leadoff hitter, and then dropped it to 134 mph to Oh Yoon-seok. He used more fastballs than in the third inning, but none of them hit 140 kilometers. For KIA, Lee’s injury is more concerning than the loss.
Lee has had a lot of ups and downs with his pitches this season, which has reduced his ability to digest innings. However, in the second half of the season, he limited the number of pitches to two or three in each game, except for Pohang Samsung Electronics (four pitches) on March 3. He also pitched six innings three times while minimizing his velocity.
Taking a long view of the entire season, it’s a shame for both him and KIA that the injury came at a time when he was getting a feel for things. It’s the most sensitive shoulder in a pitcher’s arm, so we have to be very careful. The results of the medical examination are still pending, but it’s likely that KIA manager Kim Jong-guk and Lee Lee-ri had some sleepless nights.
KIA was the last of the 10 clubs to reach 100 games. They also have the tightest schedule after September 10. They will need a lot of starting pitching. Lee’s injury is not a good sign. Other starting pitchers are also facing big and small problems, and their innings digestibility has dropped. Maybe Hwang Dong-ha, who pitched well against Samsung Electronics in Daegu on the 20th, should be brought back to the first team.
In any case, Lee’s injury is a bad one, both in terms of location and timing. It could be a major setback for KIA’s season-ending battle for the top spot. Furthermore, Lee’s health is a major concern for the national baseball team as they prepare for the Hangzhou Asian Games. With the tournament only a month away, this could be devastating.
The national team already has a pitcher with health issues in Koo Chang-mo. Na Kyun-ahn has just returned from injury, and Kwak Bin and Park Se-woong have not been performing well lately. With the national team’s pitching staff in general in bad shape, Ryu is not happy to have Lee Yi-ri as an option.