Players can't get all 13.2 billion won in damages...The director liked it, saying it was finally full

Jul 21, 2025

The game between the NC Dinos and the Hanwha Eagles at Munsu Baseball Stadium in Ulsan on the 22nd. Coach Seo Jae-eung and coach Lee Ho-joon are watching Ponce pitching. Ulsan = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.05.22/

The player is already suffering a lot of damage. However, from the standpoint of waiting, I feel relieved.

News about the timing of Koo Chang-mo's return to the first division of the NC Dinos has already been a hot topic for a month. Koo Chang-mo, who was discharged from military service in Sangmu on the 17th of last month, has not yet made a debut in the first team. A strange atmosphere was formed just before he was discharged from the military. Coach Lee Ho-joon originally classified Koo Chang-mo, who is scheduled to be discharged from the military, as a joining resource in the second half of this season's plan. Koo Chang-mo also showed confidence.

But ahead of the Sangmu campaign, there have been no positive reports. Koo Chang-mo, who had been preparing to return to NC again ahead of this season, was hit on the shoulder by a hit at the beginning of the season and had the bad luck of stopping the pitch. In the end, it was decided that it took time to build up again after being discharged from the military. Koo Chang-mo said in a phone call with manager Lee Ho-joon "In order to return as a starting pitcher, I think I need a little more time because I didn't throw a lot of balls"I asked for your understanding. From the manager's point of view, it was inevitable. You can't force the ball to throw, and it's ridiculous to use Koo Chang-mo as a bullpen now. In the end, the best-case scenario was that healthy Koo Chang-mo returned to the first team by creating a condition to play his role normally as a starting pitcher, giving him more time.

Koo Chang-mo.Sports Chosun DB

Of course, if you only look for Koo Chang-mo, it could be exhausting for pitchers who are currently throwing hard in the NC 1st team, especially domestic starting pitchers. This is a part that not only coach Lee Ho-joon but also all coaching staff and club officials sympathize with. It's not a good look to wait anxiously for only 'no player' at a time when there are players who are competing hard and trying to find their place. However, NC has already invested heavily in Koo Chang-mo. In addition to the symbolism of a non-FA multi-year contract, it gave a huge contract of up to 13.2 billion won for 6+1 years, and it is the world of professionals that they cannot just watch such a player.

Koo Chang-mo, who joined the NC 2nd division squad immediately after being discharged from the military, seemed to be preparing smoothly. He pitched three innings (no runs) in a Futures League game against Sangmu on June 28, and as planned, he pitched in the first four innings (two runs) after being discharged from the military in a Futures League game against the LG Twins' second division on July 4.

So far, he has been optimistic. There was no particular problem with arrest or ball control, and if the number of pitches was set at about 80, it was possible to immediately put in the first team. Coach Lee Ho-joon was also consulting with the second-tier coaching staff by throwing more than once in the second-tier team, not twice after the match against LG. If only about 80 pitches could be thrown, it would be meaningless to take the mound for one more game in the second division with up to 100 pitches. So as soon as the second half began, he even calculated the possibility of starting and putting Koo Chang-mo in. Coach Lee Ho-joon smiled satisfactorily as he envisioned a starting rotation for the second half of the season, which will lead to Logan Allen, Riley Thompson, Shin Min-hyuk, Koo Chang-mo and Mok Ji-hoon.

Koo Chang-mo who pitched in the Futures League. Photo =NC Dinos

However, a sudden decision was made after the match against LG on the 4th. Koo Chang-mo decided not to play the next game, which was scheduled. Initially, Koo Chang-mo was scheduled to take the mound again in the Futures League around the 9th. However, as a result of a meeting between the coaching staff and club officials, they decided not to take the mound on the 9th and to take a break.

At that time, he planned to slowly raise his condition in case he did not overface, but eventually it became known that he had a problem. He felt a lump in his left elbow after taking the mound against LG. Koo Chang-mo, who has been treated, will be examined at the hospital on the 23rd. After that, the schedule for the resumption of pitching will be decided.

Even if the diagnosis is that the recovery has been completed without any problems at the examination on the 23rd, you have to catch the ball again and digest the program. The gap is not long so far, but if the time to perfect recovery is longer, it may take a lot of time to build up. This means that the return can be delayed until August or September at the earliest. September is the end of the regular season.

In fact, the delay in returning is also a great loss to Koo Chang-mo. Because it signed a contract of up to 13.2 billion won, it is called '13.2 billion won pitcher', but the guaranteed annual salary is 8.8 billion won, and the rest is incentives for achieving options. Although the NC club has never revealed the details, it is understood that the number of games played and options for innings are quite large. The longer the return is delayed, the greater the damage. What is more frustrating than anyone else is Koo Chang-mo himself.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.