‘We were just about to be complete…’ 12 billion key batsmen leave, endless relay injuries worsen → incomplete line-ups persist
Samsung Lions have been waiting for June. The promising month of June has arrived, but spring has yet to come.
Samsung coach Park Jin-man urged caution rather than hope as he spoke about the players returning from injury late last month.
“There shouldn’t be any more injuries,” he said, urging caution and care for his current players. An ominous foreshadowing from the captain. On the day of the completion, it became a reality.
Koo Ja-rook, a key hitter worth 12 billion won, was sidelined with a serious injury.
Koo started at third base against the Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 3rd.
He had a strong game with the ball and on the field. She went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. With runners on first and second in the eighth inning with the score tied 2-2, he hit a high fastball from Hanwha’s Park Sang-won for the game-winning run. It was the difference in a 7-2 victory 스포츠토토.
But it was Hosadama.
He suffered an unexpected injury in the eighth inning. One out later, pinch-hitter Moon Hyun-bin hit a fly ball to the right foul line.
The first baseman, second baseman, and right fielder came together. Koo Jae-rook sprinted towards the ball. The ball was caught by second baseman Kim Ji-chan.
At that moment, the runner grabbed the back of his right thigh and went down. His face contorted in pain. He lay on his stomach for a while, unable to get up. A stretcher was brought in, and after standing for a moment in pain, Gu Jia-rook was carried away on the stretcher as if he could no longer walk.
Coach Park Jin-man’s expression hardened.
Earlier in the day, Kim Dong-jin sprinted to third base after hitting a grounder in the second inning and was replaced by An Joo-hyung in the field in the third inning due to a sore right hamstring.
Kim Dong-jin was a young player who filled in well while Kim Ji-chan was out with his hamstring. His batting ability was good enough to earn him a spot in the centre of the order.
Guzauk is suspected to have a micro-injury to his hamstring. He will undergo a medical examination in Daegu on the 5th. We will have to wait for the results of the examination, but judging by the player’s reaction, a quick return is unlikely.
On the 4th, Samsung will expunge both Koo and Kim Dong-jin.
The same day that infielder Kim Ji-chan and catcher Kim Jae-sung returned from injury to complete the line-up. On the same day, the team lost two key players to hamstring injuries.
The dream of perfection is so elusive. Despite securing the winning series against Daejeon with back-to-back wins, Samsung’s bench continues to struggle.