Left-hander Eui-ri Lee (21‧KIA), who is considered the future pillar of Korean professional baseball as well as KIA, is a player with the best advantage of being able to throw a fast ball with his left hand. He throws a fastball that can exceed 150 km/h. Now that he is a pitcher in his third year, the potential for future growth is unlimited.
Although he has been struggling with command issues, expectations are high for this player because his fastball is so attractive. Being able to throw 150km with a lefty is a special talent on any stage. He’s not just fast on the ball. The tip of the ball, which is commonly referred to as vertical movement, is also the highest class in the league.
Eui-ri Lee threw 96 innings in 20 games this season until the 21st, recording an average ERA of 3.84 with 10 wins and 6 losses. In fact, his pitch was good this year as well. His batting average was only 0.208. However, as seen in average innings, many walks were holding back. Although he did not give up many runs, he often approached the limit of 100 pitches in 4 or 5 innings. It was a homework he had to solve in order to become an ace.
However, there was hope in the second half. Although his batting average increased, his 4th pitch decreased as his pitches were caught a little more reliably instead. At the same time, he digested 23 innings in 4 games in the second half. In the last two appearances, he played 6 innings and recorded a quality start (6 or more starting innings and 3 earned runs or less). There were many fans who supported him, saying that it was a better direction, even though hits would be a little more correct.안전놀이터
Such Lee Eui-ri was pitching not badly in the match against kt held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 22nd. He gave up two balls that fit the body due to poor control of the curve in the first inning, and although he conceded two runs, there was no so-called ‘ball quality’ that made fans frustrated. From the second inning, he started throwing coolly. He cruised with a fastball that reached up to 150km (according to Trackman), and a good mix of changeup and curveball.
Up to the 4th inning, the performance was not bad with 4 hits, 5 strikeouts and 2 runs, and the number of pitches was 76, so it was possible to go more than one inning. However, Eui-ri Lee was not on the mound in the 5th inning. An official from the KIA club said, “It was replaced due to left shoulder pain. I am going to go to the hospital and get a checkup.” Although it is a preemptive measure, it is a situation where all concerned are concerned about the fact that the painful part is the shoulder.
There were signs from Ahn Chi-young’s at-bat in the third inning. His fastball velocity dropped. A restraint suddenly began to form between 137.6 km and 141.2 km. Up to this point, it could have been seen as simple rapid adjustment or poor physical condition. However, from the 4th episode, this phenomenon changed blatantly. Everyone could feel that it was unusual.
According to ‘Trackman’ tally, Lee Eui-ri threw a total of 15 fastballs of 145 km/h or faster in one inning. But in the 4th episode, there was only one. Most of the balls were formed around 140 km. The lowest speed was only 136.4 km. It was difficult to see it as a rapid adjustment. Lee Eui-ri was not yet a player who could adjust his pace to that extent. The unevenness of the restraint was clearly a part that could be suspected of injury.
The team succeeded in turning around in the 6th inning and escaped from the loss crisis. However, the result of the match today is not the problem. Eui-ri Lee’s shoulder condition is of utmost interest. One injury to his shoulder can have a huge impact on his career. Even if the degree of inflammation is not severe, you may need to rest for a while. KIA has no choice but to wait anxiously for the results of the examination.
It is KIA that already has poor inning digestibility of starting pitchers. It is also the team with the most games left among the 10 clubs. Even if Lee Eui-ri takes a break from the rotation, it is not easy to fill that void. It was a situation where I had to hope that it wasn’t a big injury.