Kiwoom hit by a bolt from the blue! 'Starting pitcher' Ha Young-min wakes up to find cellulitis: "Likely to skip about two turns"

*This content was translated by AI.

The Kiwoom Heroes' starting rotation has been thrown into disarray. Ha Young-min (31), a key pillar of the team's native starting pitchers, was sidelined from the lineup after suddenly developing an injury upon waking up the day after his last start on the 1st.

On the 2nd, Kiwoom announced that pitcher Ha Young-min has been removed from the first-division roster ahead of the game against the Doosan Bears scheduled to be held at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome. The reason is "cellulitis." Ha Young-min visited a hospital after noticing swelling on his right foot upon waking up that morning, and the examination confirmed cellulitis.

Kiwoom manager Seol Jong-jin (53), who met with reporters at the scene, explained regarding Ha Young-min: "He seemed completely fine immediately after his start on the 1st, but when he woke up this morning, his foot was swollen, so he went to the hospital." He added, "We even conducted a double check, but the results came out as such." He further noted, "Considering the treatment period, it will likely be about two weeks, which means skipping about two turns in the starting rotation."

Ha Young-min is scheduled to coordinate a specific return date through a follow-up medical examination at the hospital on the 4th. Kiwoom plans to decide on a replacement starter through discussions with the coaching staff to fill the vacancy left by Ha Young-min. It was also explained that no pitcher has yet been decided to take Ha Young-min's spot.

This is a somewhat regrettable departure for Kiwoom. In this season, Ha Young-min has appeared in six games with a record of two wins and two losses, an ERA of 5.02. Although he struggled in the Doosan game on the 1st, pitching four innings with five hits allowed (two home runs), two strikeouts, three walks, and five earned runs, he was one of the reliable starting pitchers.

Meanwhile, on this day, Kiwoom removed catcher Kim Dong-heon, Jeon Jun-pyo, and Lee Jun-woo (all pitchers) from the roster, along with pitcher Ha Young-min, and called up catcher Kim Jae-hyun, infielders Lee Ju-hyung and Kim Seo-jun, and Lee Tae-yang (all pitchers) to the first division. Manager Seol Jong-jin stated, "The removed pitchers could not pitch on consecutive days, so we made roster changes considering the need to bolster the pitching staff and their physical condition."

Facing the Doosan Bears on this day, Kiwoom set its starting lineup in the following order: Lee Hyung-jong (left fielder), Kim Geon-hee (catcher), An Chi-hong (second baseman), Choi Ju-hwan (designated hitter), Im Byung-wook (right fielder), Park Soo-jong (center fielder), Brooks (first baseman), Yang Hyeon-jong (third baseman), and Kwon Hyuk-bin (shortstop). An Woo-jin will take the mound as the starting pitcher for this game.

Manager Seol Jong-jin conveyed the game plan for An Woo-jin: "The benchmark is five innings. Even if he doesn't reach five innings, if his pitch count is high, he may be replaced early. Even if his pitch count is low, if he completes five innings, he will be replaced."

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*This content was translated by AI.