He threw it with a tap, but he overcame the 146km Tommy John surgery perfectly, and a plan to return to KIA's Cheongunmanma left-hander ace came out
May 14, 2025
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KIA Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho expressed satisfaction after watching left-hander ace Lee Eui-ri (23) throw a bullpen. Lee Eui-ri has recently been stepping up his efforts to move to the actual stage by pitching a bullpen at Gwangju Kia Champions Field. In the last bullpen pitching, he raised the number of pitches to 50 and checked all the breaking balls he could throw along with his fastball, signaling his imminent return.
Regarding Lee Eui-ri ahead of the match against the Lotte Giants in Gwangju on the 14th, coach Lee said, `We will pitch the next bullpen and start the game soon. He pitched 50 each. If I pitch again, I think I will increase the number of pitches to 30 to 50 while playing in the (Futures League) game. "If we increase the number of pitches in the Futures League by early June, we will be able to throw in the first team from the middle of the year, so I think we are preparing for it."
Manager Lee, who watched Lee Eui-ri's bullpen pitching in person, did not hide his satisfaction. Lee Eui-ri has been suffering from poor elbow since April last year, and eventually underwent reconstructive surgery (tommy zone surgery) in the inner thigh of the elbow in June last year. He also underwent surgery, and there was a period of throwing despite the pain, so he was worried that Lee Eui-ri might not be able to throw the ball as much as he wanted because he was worried about the recurrence of the injury, but it was unfortunate.
Director Lee "I threw it from the bullpen, and it came out 145-146km. He threw curves, sliders, and circle changeups. Seeing that he practices all the changes, he now has no fear in his arms, so he prepares by throwing all the pitches he wants to throw. Given that (the objection) is well prepared for this season, I think I can be a much better starter next year. I think I will be a very important player depending on this season. I think we need to prepare well so that we can end the season well"He didn't hide his expectations for the ace, who will return a month later.
Lee Eui-ri has been expected to be a left-hander ace to succeed veteran Yang Hyun-jong (37) since he graduated from Gwangju Jeil High School and joined KIA in 2021 as the first nomination. Expectations were high as a left-handed fireballer, and he was steadily rotating in the starting rotation from his debut season in 2021 until he left last year due to an injury, accumulating enough experience for the ace at a young age.
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KIA's starting lineup is still running fairly stable. Three players, James Nail, Adam Oler and Kim Do-hyun, have been pitching stably without much ups and downs so far. Yang Hyun-jong was worried about his sluggish performance until April, but he has been showing his pitching skills that are gradually gaining pace since May.
The question is five starters. The calculation was twisted as Yoon Young-chul, who was the fourth starter, was sluggish with three losses, five ⅔ innings and a 15.88 ERA in three games. Hwang Dong-ha, who was a contender for the 5th starting pitcher, was urgently put in as an alternative starting pitcher, and crossed the crosswalk near Incheon's away accommodation on the 8th In a car accident, he was diagnosed with a lumbar vertebrae fracture No. 2 and No. 3 and suddenly left. Yoon Young-chul was called up again as soon as possible, and if Yoon Young-chul shows the same pitching as the previous three games, the time to wait for objection will only be long until mid-June.
First of all, it is important for Yoon Young-chul to endure the next month well. Yoon Young-chul will return to the starting lineup on the same day.
Manager Lee said, "(Yoon) Young-chul should throw well because Dong-ha (Hwang) was injured. I'm thinking about 70 pitches. Because we need to bring it up quickly to 70 to 80 pitches. Even if it's hard in the beginning, I'm going to keep the number of pitches and make them throw. Today's game will be important to Young-chul, but it is also important to lead the inning as a starter in the future. I think we should let the number of pitches fill enough for one game today."
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
