The pitcher was hit twice in a game. It was a situation where he could react sensitively because the leg was hit both times, but he rather laughed.
KIA Lee Eui-ri started the away game 꽁머니사이트 against KT Wiz in the “2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League” at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Gyeonggi-do on the 8th and ended the first half with seven wins of the season with three hits, two outs, and eight strikeouts in five innings.
His first breath with catcher Kim Tae-gun was successful and he overwhelmed KT’s batters with his powerful pitching. But there was also a dizzying situation. Lee Eui-ri was hit twice by a KT batter’s pitch. The first time I got hit was in the bottom of the first inning. KT Jang Sung-woo’s ball was deflected by hitting his left foot with two outs and runners on first base, and Lee Eui-ri quickly caught the ball and threw it to first base, but made a throwing error. Coach Seo Jae-eung and his trainer took the mound in surprise, and Lee Eui-ri signed that he was okay. Fortunately, I was able to continue pitching without any major problems.
However, in the bottom of the fifth inning, he suffered another bad luck of being hit by a ball. After two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, KT Kim Min-hyuk’s ball hit the left shin and became an infield hit. When Lee Eui-ri limped and complained of pain, coach Seo Jae-eung and trainer ran to the mound again this time. Lee Eui-ri smiled and sent a sign that he was okay, but coach Seo Jae-eung was worried by sending a sign to wait for a bullpen pitcher in case of a possible situation.
And after confirming that there was nothing wrong with Lee Eui-ri, he laughed and joked, “What’s wrong with you today. Coach Seo Jae-eung’s pleasant leadership relaxed Lee Eui-ri and was able to deal with the next batter comfortably. In the end, he struck out Hwang Jae-kyun in a crisis of two outs and 1.2 base, finishing the day.
Meanwhile, coach Seo Jae-eung returned as a pitching coach in the first division on the 29th of last month. After serving as the main pitching coach in the first division last year, he moved to the residual division after the season, but returned to the first division after half a year. In June, KIA’s starting pitcher’s ERA was the lowest at 6.32. Not only the starter but also the bullpen were unstable. KIA expects coach Seo Jae-eung’s brother’s leadership to help reform the atmosphere. Even when Lee Eui-ri was hit by the ball, I could feel the advantage of coach Seo Jae-eung, who had good chemistry with the players.
KIA, which recently won five consecutive games, once fell to ninth place, but raised its ranking to sixth place ahead of the All-Star Break, signaling a major counterattack in the second half. Now, it is one game away from fifth-ranked NC and two games away from fourth-ranked Lotte. If he continues to win consecutive games in the final series of the first half against Samsung from the 11th, he can return to the 50% winning rate and reach the fourth place. KIA’s rise is expected to continue as Yang Hyun-jong and Yoon Young-chul are scheduled to take the mound in the rotation.