I even received Choi Dong-won's nickname, a foreigner who fought 5 consecutive games…Why can't Lotte go?

Aug 05, 2025

I even received Choi Dong-won's nickname, a foreigner who fought 5 consecutive games…Why can't Lotte go?
Hernandez cheering right after winning Game 5 of the semi-playoff last year. Sports Chosun DB



I even received Choi Dong-won's nickname, a foreigner who fought 5 consecutive games…Why can't Lotte go?
Hernandez cheering right after winning Game 5 of the semi-playoff last year. Sports Chosun DB
I even received Choi Dong-won's nickname, a foreigner who fought 5 consecutive games…Why can't Lotte go?
Hernandez cheering right after winning Game 5 of the semi-playoff last year. Sports Chosun DB
A foreign pitcher led the team to victory by taking the mound in five consecutive semi-playoffs. It earned the honor comparable to the immortal Choi Dong-won who shines in the 'four wins of the Korean Series'.

But the reality of outsiders is cold. Eliaser Hernandez, who is in his second season, suffered from injury and was sluggish with 14 games, 66 innings and an ERA of 4.23.

The LG Twins dream of winning the Korean Series again this year. He is competing with the Hanwha Eagles for the lead. In the end, he chose to replace Hernandez. Signed new foreigner Anderson Tolhurst, bid farewell to Hernandez.




In addition to LG, KT Wiz also recruited new foreigners ahead of the August 15 deadline for replacing foreign players. Now, there are not many teams in the league considering changing foreign players. One of them is Lotte.

Tucker Davidson is 'Dilemma'. It wasn't that he was good at it. Until May, he pitched well in 12 games with 6-1 losses and a 2.45 ERA, serving as the team's ace. The bats of other teams' batters continued to cut through the air on an anomalous pitch that included a sharp slider, curve and sweeper with a maximum 152km fastball falling from a high release point. Due to the nature of the ground ball type pitcher, it also matched well with Lotte's infield, which has become more solid with the recruitment of Jeon Min-jae.

I even received Choi Dong-won's nickname, a foreigner who fought 5 consecutive games…Why can't Lotte go?
Lotte-KIA match held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 6th. Davidson, who threw a hit ball to Kim Ho-ryeong at the end of the second inning with one out and runners on the first and second bases, is regretful. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.6/
But there have been signs since late May. The ball control began to shake as the power of the fastball decreased slightly. In particular, he showed a sharp decline in his physical strength starting in the fifth inning. He has been struggling with five consecutive innings in three consecutive games in the second half.




Therefore, some in the baseball world said that if Hernandez is released, why don't Lotte recruit him. Lotte has recently seen the stability of its starters, including Gamboa, Park Se-woong, Lee Min-seok, and Na Gyun-an. It could be an attractive option to recruit Hernandez to the bullpen and add strength to the postseason.

However, in terms of the results, Lotte cannot use Hernandez in the postseason even if it recruits him. As LG's recruitment of new foreigners was delayed, Hernandez was only replaced after taking the mound until the Samsung Lions match on August 2.

I even received Choi Dong-won's nickname, a foreigner who fought 5 consecutive games…Why can't Lotte go?
A game between Lotte and LG at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 19th, and LG Hernandez, with two outs and runners on second base, talks with Shin Min-jae after catching a grounder by Lotte Na Seung-yeop in the top of the second inning. Jamsil= Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.07.19/
A KBO official said "Foreign players who previously played in the league must be registered with other teams by July 31st when they are released to play in the postseason. The so-called `August 15 Regulations' are limited to new foreign players", he explained.




According to Article 94 of the KBO League Covenant 'Waver Disclosure'①, a club that intends to terminate or waive a player contract must apply for waivers regarding the player contract from the president by the end of the regular season every year. However, after 1 August, players transferred by Waver will not be allowed to play in the postseason. Players who played for other teams at the time of the opening are limited by this rule, not only by domestic players but also by foreign players.

I even received Choi Dong-won's nickname, a foreigner who fought 5 consecutive games…Why can't Lotte go?
A game between the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium on the 25th. LG Hernandez is pitching hard. Jamsil = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.07.25/
However, a special exception was made for new foreign players due to the possibility of delayed visa issuance.

In the case of Kiwoom Heroes, a new foreign player, C.C Mercedes, has been hired to operate the rest of the season, even though it has been frustrated to advance to the postseason. However, Lotte's position is different. If we recruit a new foreign pitcher, we need to find a player who will help the team's power in the postseason rather than Davidson, and Hernandez can't be the answer.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.