KIA Tigers pitcher Choi Ji-min breathed a sigh in a simple bruise examination. KIA manager Kim Jong-kook said Choi Ji-min is preparing to take the mound in the final home game.
KIA will play the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Oct. 13. KIA, which has won two consecutive games recently, maintained sixth place in the league with 71 wins, two draws and 68 losses this season. It is two games behind fifth-place Doosan.
KIA will face Doosan starter Kwak Bin with a starting batting order leading to Kim Do-young (third baseman), Ko Jong-wook (designated hitter), Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Socrates (right fielder), Lee Woo-sung (left fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), Byun Woo-hyuk (first baseman), Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder), and Kim Kyu-sung (shortstop). The starting pitcher for KIA is Kim Geon-guk.
Coach Kim met with reporters before the game on the 13th and said, “Our team doesn’t have tomorrow, and I just think today is the last day. Hwang Dong-ha had a bad result against Doosan. Kim Gun-guk’s results against LG and NC were good, and he had a lot of experience in starting, so he thought it would be better. In addition, we plan to prepare the bullpen early because there is no weekend game, he said.
Pitcher Choi Ji-min, who was immediately pulled out after being hit by a pitch against the Lotte Giants in Gwangju on the 12th, did not accompany him to Jamsil on the 13th with the results of a simple bruise examination.
In the game on the 12th, KIA put Choi Ji-min on the mound after winning a gold medal in the Asian Games national team with one out and one base in the top of the sixth inning. Choi Ji-min was hit by Park Seung-wook to the right and then hit a timely hit to the middle of the tie by Ahn Kwon-soo to allow a 5-5 tie.
Choi Ji-min took a breather by inducing pinch hitter Yoo Kang-nam to hit a double play to shortstop in the crisis of first and second bases with one out. In the top of the seventh inning, bad luck came to Choi Ji-min. Choi Ji-min faced Jeon Joon-woo after catching the leadoff hitter Jung Dae-sun with a fly ball to right field in the top of the seventh inning. A 134km/h slider thrown to Jeon Jun-woo led to a pitcher’s training pitch. Choi Ji-min was inevitably hit hard near his left foot.
Choi Ji-min, who collapsed as soon as he was hit, complained of pain and couldn’t get up easily. Eventually, Choi Ji-min moved directly to the hospital after the ambulance entered the ground. The KIA bench replaced the pitcher with Jeon Sang-hyun. With Jeon Sang-hyun blocking additional runs, KIA won 6-5 with Lee Woo-sung’s timely hit to the left of the final in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and a runner on second base.
Regarding Choi Ji-min’s condition, head coach Kim said, “It is fortunate that the results of the simple bruise examination came out. There was no need to overdo it until today’s away game in Jamsil. As a result of the examination results and the training part examination, he will be able to take the mound from next Monday. Choi Ji-min explained, “We plan to use him in the final two home games against NC.”