Kia is back in action with a ‘living without’ approach. Kia coach Kim Jong-kook encouraged the players to “do their best until the end.”
On the 5th, Kim Jong-kook met with Kim Sun-bin and Yang Hyun-jong separately. Kim Jong-kook met with Kim Sun-bin and Yang Hyun-jong separately on the fifth to stabilize the atmosphere of the team, which was in danger of falling apart. The team had just lost key hitter Park Chan-ho to injury.
“It’s tough, but I hope the players we have now will play hard to win as much as possible,” said Kim Jong-kook. We’ve been doing well even without Na Sung-beom and Choi Hyung-woo. It’s a difficult situation, but it’s not over yet, so I told them to do their best until the end.” “I asked them to do it through the two senior players because it can be difficult for the players if the coach has too many meetings,” he said.
Park Chan-ho was hit in the left forearm by a pitch from starter Lee Sun-woo in the top of the fifth inning against KT Suwon on April 4, and after a medical examination, he was diagnosed with a 12-week ulnar comminuted fracture and will undergo pin fixation surgery on April 6, ending his season. It was a devastating injury that sapped KIA’s strength in the midst of a tough five-team race. With Na Sung-bum and Choi Hyung-woo already out for the season due to injury, the loss of Park Chan-ho means that the rest of the team could lose momentum. It’s a tough situation for KIA, but a top-five finish is still possible and they’ll have to fight to the end.
The injury to Park Chan-ho is also a concern for KT. KT head coach Lee Kang-cheol also apologized to the KIA players on the day.
“After yesterday’s game, I heard that Park Chan-ho’s injury was serious. I’m really sorry for KIA. We have a lot of games left and we’re fighting for the top spot, so I’m really sorry that this happened.”
KIA has already lost center fielders Na Sung-bum and Choi Hyung-woo to injuries, with Choi fracturing his collarbone in a collision with first baseman Park Byung-ho on September 24 against KT.스포츠토토
In-game injuries are literally “accidents” that no one intends to happen, but it’s understandably frustrating for KT to lose two key players in a row at such a critical time. The initial diagnosis of Park Chan-ho’s fractured forearm came at the end of the 4th game. Lee Kang-cheol heard the news after the game and headed straight to the KIA dugout to meet with KIA manager Kim Jong-kook and express his apologies. Lee understands the situation better than anyone as the team started the season with a string injury.
Without Park Chan-ho in the lineup, Kim Do-young will bat first. Kim Kyu-sung will start at shortstop.
KIA’s starting lineup was Kim Do-young (third base), Ko Jong-wook (designated hitter), Kim Sun-bin (second base), Socrates (center field), Lee Woo-sung (right field), Lee Chang-jin (left field), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), Oh Se-u (first base), and Kim Kyu-sung (shortstop).