Lee Min-woo's third consecutive start 'extreme measure': Kim Kyung-moon candidly admits, "I worried a lot; he looked exhausted, so I plan to rest him until Monday"

*This content was translated by AI.

Hanwha Eagles manager Kim Kyung-moon (68) openly shared his thoughts on the previous day (12th) regarding the decision to use relief pitcher Lee Min-woo (33) for three consecutive starts and the disappointing loss that followed.

On the 12th, Hanwha took an extreme measure by deploying Lee Min-woo for his third consecutive start in the bottom of the 9th inning while leading 3-1 against Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome, but they suffered a heartbreaking loss after allowing a walk-off hit to Seo Geon-chang. Prior to this, Lee had taken the mound for three straight days, following appearances on the 10th and 11th against Daejeon KIA.

It was a decision that inevitably weighed heavily on the manager. When asked about Lee Min-woo's third consecutive start, manager Kim Kyung-moon began by saying, "The starting pitcher, Hernandez, pitched well, so it was a somewhat disappointing game," before adding, "Sometimes we win like this, and baseball is always open. I think the opponent played well. We must focus on the next game," calmly accepting the result.

Regarding Lee Min-woo, who displayed fighting spirit until the end amidst Kiwoom's fierce comeback attempt in the latter half of the game, manager Kim Kyung-moon acknowledged his physical limits. Manager Kim stated, "He seems a bit exhausted. Stopping one inning in the bullpen and closing the game as a closer are actually completely different things," expressing empathy for the pressure and physical toll associated with the closer role.

In fact, he confessed that he had deeply pondered whether to use Lee Min-woo before the 9th inning on the previous day (12th). Manager Kim further revealed, "I worried about it. I worry, and besides that, I worry every day," laughing heartily and showing the heavy responsibility of being a manager.

Lee Min-woo, exhausted from three consecutive starts, will be given rest. Manager Kim stated, "First, we must consider him definitely resting today. I am thinking we should let him rest until Monday, when there are no games," clearly indicating that protecting the pitcher is the top priority.

Regarding the operation of the closer role during Lee Min-woo's absence, he said, "Depending on the situation, we will deploy (appropriate pitchers) at the right times," and added, "We plan to use pitchers who have not appeared much evenly and work through the games," previewing a collective closer or irregular bullpen deployment for the Kiwoom games on the 13th and 14th.

Meanwhile, Hanwha lined up its starting lineup against Kiwoom starter Alcantara as follows: Lee Jin-young (center fielder), Ferrara (right fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (first baseman), Heo In-seo (catcher), Lee Do-yoon (second baseman), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). Hanwha's starting pitcher is right-hander Park Jun-young (jersey number 68). Park Jun-young has appeared in six games this season (three starts), recording three wins, one loss, one hold, and an ERA of 4.58. This is his first appearance against Kiwoom this season.

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*This content was translated by AI.