The KIA Tigers’ long wait is over. The “nucleus” of the batting lineup, Na Sung-beom (34), and top prospect Kim Do-young (20), have been added to the first team roster. On the other hand, SSG Landers and Kiwoom Heroes will be without key foreign players, while NC will be without one of its starters.아톰카지노
KIA added Na Sung-beom and Kim Do-young to its first-team roster ahead of its 2023 KBO regular-season home game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on April 23. To make room for the two, outfielder Park Jung-woo and infielder Choi Jeong-yong were removed from the first team roster.
This is the first time this season that Na has made the first team roster. Previously, Na was named to the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) roster in March, but felt pain in his left calf and was diagnosed with a muscle injury that kept him out of action for his club, KIA. April and May went by without an exhibition game, and it wasn’t until the 23rd of June, more than two-thirds of the way through, that he finally made his first team debut in front of the fans.
Kim sprained his left ankle on April 2 against the Incheon SSG while running to third base. He was highly anticipated by fans for his performance in the exhibition game for the second consecutive year, but it turned out to be a metatarsal fracture, and it took him two and a half months to recover and return to the first team.
The two hitters have already completed their rehabilitation and have been playing in the Futures (second division) league since the 20th of this month. In three games, Na batted .444 (4-for-9) with one home run and two RBIs, with three of his four hits being long balls, proving his consistent power. She hit one home run, one double, and one triple. Kim Do-young also batted .600 (6-for-10) with two home runs and three RBIs in the three games. KIA, which dropped back-to-back games against the Hanwha Eagles on April 21 and 22 to drop to eighth place in the season, will look to turn things around with the addition of the duo.
A game between the NC Dinos and the LG Twins in the KBO on April 4 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. NC starting pitcher Lee Jae-hak pitches in the first inning. Photo by Yonhap
The NC Dinos have been dealing with a string of injuries to their starting pitching staff. Side arm starter Lee Jae-hak suffered a metatarsal fracture. Lee Jae-hak started against the LG Twins on April 22 and was hit in the left foot by Moon Bo-kyung’s grounder in the top of the third inning. He continued to pitch until the fifth inning, but the diagnosis after the game was a metatarsal fracture.
It’s an emergency for NC. NC had previously lost Koo Chang-mo and Eric Peddie to back-to-back injuries, and on the 20th against the LG Electronics, Choi Sung-young suffered an orbital fracture after being hit in the face by Moon Bo-kyung. Peddie is expected to join the team soon, but with Lee Jae-hak out of the lineup, the spot will remain vacant again. NC added outfielder Kwon Hee-dong to the first team roster in place of Lee Jae-hak.
SSG Landers and Doosan Bears during the 2023 KBO Baseball League baseball game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea, on April 22. SSG starting pitcher McCarty celebrates after hitting Doosan’s Yang Ji-won with an infield grounder in the bottom of the sixth inning. Photo by Yonhap
Kiwoom and SSG have been without foreign players. Kiwoom finally removed foreign-born outfielder Edison Russell from the first team roster after he missed his last five games with a sore wrist. SSG had left-handed foreign ace Kirk McCarty removed. McCarty picked up his seventh win of the season with a six-inning, two-run shutout against the Jamsil Doosan Bears a day earlier (Feb. 22), but only threw 87 pitches. He complained of left forearm pain in the sixth inning, and while there was nothing wrong with it, it turned out to be inflammation, so he was removed. There is no timetable for his return. McCarty’s move down to the first team will be filled by captain Han Yoo-seom. He will be added to the first team roster a day later on April 24.