'A' Huge Blow for Kiwoom! On the Day Alcantara Was Removed, Hira Also Substituted Due to Shoulder Pain "Monitor Progress → Decide on Hospital Checkup"

*This content was translated by AI.

Just as the 'last-place' Kiwoom Heroes were showing a sharp upward trend with four wins and two losses in the second half, a massive blow struck the team. On the very day their 'foreign ace' Raul Alcantara (34) was removed from the first-division roster due to elbow pain, key foreign batter Keston Hira (30) was also substituted mid-game due to injury. It remains uncertain whether he will participate in the three-game away series against KIA Tigers starting on the 24th in Gwangju.

Hira started as the cleanup hitter and left fielder in the '2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League' match against Samsung Lions held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 23rd, displaying brilliant defense during the extra-inning 10th inning, but suffered an injury in the process.

In a tense situation with the score tied 1-1 in the top of the 10th inning with two outs and a runner on second base, Hira chased down Samsung's Koo Ja-wook's well-hit ball all the way to the wall, making a spectacular catch just before the fence. It was especially crucial because if Koo's hit had been an extra-base hit, the game could have ended immediately.

However, while handling that play, Hira collided violently with the fence. Although he successfully caught the ball, he complained of severe pain in his right shoulder immediately after the defensive and offensive switch. Ultimately, Hira could not continue playing and was substituted for injury during his own at-bat in the bottom of the 10th inning, leaving the field. Yeo Dong-wook entered as a pinch hitter to replace him.

A Kiwoom team official stated, "Hira collided with the fence during defensive play in the top of the 10th inning and complained of right shoulder pain, so he was substituted. We will first monitor his condition before deciding whether to conduct a hospital checkup."

The timing of Hira's injury departure made it even more painful for the team, as news of Alcantara's hospital checkup had just been released. Alcantara started against Samsung on the 22nd and pitched four scoreless innings with three hits allowed and two strikeouts (65 pitches, top speed 154 km/h), but after hitting Lee Jae-hyun with a pitch in the top of the 5th inning as the leadoff batter, he felt an abnormality in his right elbow and voluntarily left the game.

After observing Alcantara's condition immediately following the game, Kiwoom made the sudden decision to remove him from the first-division roster on the 23rd to protect the player and accurately assess his status. Speaking to reporters ahead of the 23rd game, Kiwoom manager Seol Jong-jin (53) explained regarding Alcantara: "While surgery is not yet considered, we are conducting a hospital checkup to determine whether the cause of his elbow pain is simple strain or ligament damage. The results are expected by Wednesday morning."

Currently, Kiwoom is operating with a two-player foreign batter lineup consisting of Matt Davidson and Keston Hira starting from July. As such, Alcantara remains the team's only foreign starting pitcher and an irreplaceable core asset on the mound as their 'ace.'

While anxiously awaiting the results of the ace's elbow checkup, Kiwoom now faces a crisis in its battle to avoid last place after Hira, one of the pillars of the team's offense, also collapsed due to shoulder pain. The club is deeply concerned as it risks losing both key foreign players on offense and defense to injury within just one day.

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*This content was translated by AI.