'Emergency Situation': KIA's 8-Game Winning Streak Broken, Another 'Unexpected Injury' Emerges; Manager Left in Deep Sigh

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers, whose winning streak ended at '8', has now faced the additional blow of an unexpected injury.

On the 18th, at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium, KIA played a grueling 10-inning extra-inning match against Doosan Bears in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season away game.

They suffered a walk-off defeat, 4-5.

With this loss, KIA's winning streak concluded at '8'. The team finished with 10 wins and 8 losses, securing sole 5th place in the league standings.

Prior to today's game, KIA removed pitcher Hong Geon-hee and infielder Park Sang-jun from the 1st-man roster. In their place, they called up pitcher Kim Geon-guk and infielder Lee Ho-yeon to the 1st-man roster.

Most painfully, veteran bullpen resource Hong Geon-hee has been sidelined due to injury.

Hong Geon-hee has recorded 0 wins, 0 losses, and 1 hold with a 0.00 earned run average in three games this season. Over a total of 3 innings, he has maintained stable detailed statistics: 4 hits allowed, 2 strikeouts, 1 earned run (unearned), an innings per base on average (WHIP) of 1.33, and a batting average against of 0.286.

It was this Hong Geon-hee who suffered a shoulder injury. After being called up to the 1st-man roster on the 11th, he pitched in the Hanwha Eagles game on the 12th, followed by games against the Kiwoom Heroes on the 15th and 16th. However, after pitching a scoreless inning in the 16th game against Kiwoom, he suffered an injury.

Feeling pain in his shoulder, he underwent a medical examination at a hospital. Regarding the examination results, a KIA official stated "he was diagnosed with damage to the supraspinatus muscle of the right shoulder" and "is scheduled for a re-examination in four weeks".

Most critically, KIA's key bullpen resources have recently been sidelined. On the 11th, ahead of the Daejeon Hanwha game, KIA removed Jung Hae-young, who had been struggling, from the 1st-man roster. Additionally, Jeon Sang-hyun, who was also underperforming, was diagnosed with a minor intercostal muscle injury and was removed from the 1st-man roster. Two members of the winning bullpen were thus sidelined at the same time.

With veteran bullpen resource Hong Geon-hee now sidelined for at least four weeks, the KIA coaching staff faces significant concern. The best-case scenario, if one must be chosen, would be that the re-examination in four weeks reveals no abnormalities, allowing him to return to normal duty. However, if his condition continues to deteriorate, he is expected to become a major setback for the KIA mound.

Prior to today's game, KIA manager Lee Beom-ho commented on Hong Geon-hee: "Yesterday (17th), after practice ended, he mentioned in the training department that he felt a bit unwell. (Since the season opener) he was brought up a bit late, which is somewhat regrettable. Hong (Geon-hee) is a type of pitcher who feels he needs good velocity and spin rate to generate power. Perhaps he was a bit sensitive in that regard, and it seems he exerted himself while trying to return to the team and pitch well", revealing his deep sigh and heartfelt regret.

Meanwhile, Hong Geon-hee is a veteran who signed a one-year FA contract with KIA in January for a total investment of 700 million won (650 million won base salary plus 50 million won in incentives). He had previously moved to Doosan Bears via trade in June 2020, and this marks his return to his original team after six years. Hong Geon-hee performed well not only in the first spring camp but also in the second spring camp schedule and exhibition games. However, he began the season excluded from the opening roster, appeared in three games in April, and ultimately suffered an injury.

A graduate of Hwasun Elementary, Hwasun Middle, and Hwasun High schools, Hong Geon-hee was selected in the 2nd round, 9th overall, in the 2011 Rookie Draft, donning the KIA Tigers uniform. He then moved to Doosan Bears via trade in June 2020. Ahead of the 2023 season, he also signed an FA contract with Doosan. He put his signature on a 2+2-year deal worth up to 2.45 billion won (300 million won signing bonus, 2.1 billion won total annual salary, and 50 million won in incentives).

In the 2024 season, Hong Geon-hee excelled as a key reliever. Appearing in 65 games, he recorded 4 wins, 3 losses, 9 saves, 11 holds, and a 2.73 ERA, performing reliably across all situations. He then spent the 2025 season as 'a pre-FA' player. However, his performance did not sufficiently justify his position. Ultimately, after the 2025 season concluded, Hong Geon-hee informed the Doosan club management of his intention to exercise an opt-out clause. Following the expiration of his two-year contract, there was a player option; exercising the opt-out meant forfeiting the remaining salary and becoming a free agent. Hong Geon-hee chose to seek market evaluation. He then reconnected with KIA and renewed his resolve, but was forced to take a brief pause.

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*This content was translated by AI.