Finally got my first real game in a year Tommy John...KIA left-hander's ace is about to return

Jun 19, 2025

Finally got my first real game in a year Tommy John...KIA left-hander's ace is about to return
KIA Tigers objection. Sports Chosun DB



Lee Eui-ri (KIA Tigers) has finally been scheduled to take the mound for the first time.

Lee Eui-ri is scheduled to take the mound in a Futures League game against the Doosan Bears' second division in Hampyeong on the 21st. In June last year, he underwent reconstructive surgery (tomizone surgery) and bone fragment removal, and it is the first time in about a year. I don't overdo it. He will pitch around 40 pitches in two innings.

I have followed the process of returning step by step. Lee Eui-ri may have been heartbroken by his first major injury since his professional debut in 2021, but rather, he made his body sincerely thinking of it as an opportunity to take a break. He was surprised by his tremendous resilience to the extent that he never got sick during the rehabilitation process. He also accompanied Irvine in the U.S. and Okinawa in Japan, focusing on building his body quickly.




KIA manager Lee Bum-ho and pitching coach Jung Jae-hoon watched Lee Eui-ri's recovery pace in January and predicted that he would be able to play in June, and it has flowed well as planned. Although an MRI examination at the end of last month found inflammation in the elbow, it only slowed down by two weeks because it is a common level of inflammation in the rehabilitation process after elbow surgery.

Finally got my first real game in a year Tommy John...KIA left-hander's ace is about to return
The match between the KIA Tigers and the LG Twins at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 10th. KIA Lee Eui-ri is pitching hard. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com/2024.04.10/
Lee Eui-ri played live pitching at Hampyeong Challengers Field, a training site for KIA's second-tier team, on the 15th. It was a sign that the actual game was imminent. While throwing a total of 45 pitches, he checked all the balls that could throw fastballs, curves, sliders, and changeups. After the pitch, he did not have any problems with his body, so he prepared to take the mound in the second division.

An KIA official said "Lee Eui-ri is scheduled to take the mound at the Hampyeong Futures game on Saturday (20th), but the game will not be easy due to the rain forecast." If it is canceled, he will take the mound a day later on Sunday."




KIA is currently rotating its starting rotation to five players, including Yang Hyun-jong, Kim Do-hyun and Yoon Young-chul, in the one-two punch of foreigners James Nail and Adam Oller. Kim Do-hyun is currently making first-line issuance results in Korea, but he needs to take care of his physical strength because it is his first full-time year, and veteran Yang Hyun-jong is also about to take a break. If Lee Eui-ri returns from the Futures League soon, it will be of great help.

Finally got my first real game in a year Tommy John...KIA left-hander's ace is about to return
KIA Tigers Jung Hae-young (left) and Lee Eui-ri. Sports Chosun DB







This article was translated by Naver AI translator.