[Official] Oh no! KIA suffers another injury 'bolt from the blue' — even underwent surgery... key reliever with a 2-point ERA sidelined

*This content was translated by AI.

A bolt from the blue has struck the KIA Tigers, who have fallen into a three-game losing streak. Kwak Do-gyu (22), a key left-handed reliever for this season, has been removed from the first-division roster due to a thigh injury.

On the 25th, ahead of their home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season, KIA excluded Kwak Do-gyu from the first-division roster.

A KIA club official stated, "Kwak Do-gyu felt discomfort after pitching the previous day (the 24th)," and added, "He underwent a medical examination at a hospital this morning (the 25th)."

The official further explained, "The examination revealed damage to his left adductor muscle (inner thigh muscle). He is scheduled to take two weeks of rest before undergoing a re-examination."

Kwak Do-gyu has appeared in 24 games this season, posting an impressive record of one win with no losses, seven holds, and a 2.12 ERA. Over a total of 17 innings, he recorded 14 hits allowed, seven walks, 18 strikeouts, four runs allowed (four earned runs), one blown save, a WHIP of 1.24, and a batting average against of 0.226.

Kwak Do-gyu appeared in 71 games last year, contributing to the team's championship title. However, he was sidelined for an extended period after undergoing elbow surgery (Tommy John surgery) early in the previous season.

After dedicating himself to a long rehabilitation process, Kwak Do-gyu returned to the first-division stage on May 19, approximately one year and one month later. He has consistently delivered strong performances this season, including maintaining a sub-2 ERA, providing significant support to the team's pitching staff.

The day before, in a home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field, Kwak Do-gyu entered in the bottom of the eighth inning with his team leading 5-4. He allowed one hit and one run over ⅓ of an inning, giving up the tying run and struggling to maintain control. Following the game, he was forced to take a break due to the unfortunate injury.

With Kwak Do-gyu sidelined, KIA's pitching staff management has entered emergency mode. Originally, KIA planned to convert Lee Ui-ri, who had been used in relief roles, into a starting pitcher starting next week. However, with Kwak Do-gyu suffering an unexpected injury, a comprehensive review of the overall pitching strategy has become unavoidable. For now, KIA has urgently called up Kim Tae-hyung to the first division to fill Kwak's vacancy.

Meanwhile, on this day, veteran Yang Hyeon-jong will start for KIA. The batting order is set as follows: Park Jae-hyun (left fielder), Castro (designated hitter), Kim Do-young (third baseman), Na Sung-beom (right fielder), Han Jun-soo (catcher), Park Sang-jun (first baseman), Ha Joo-seok (second baseman), Kim Kyu-sung (shortstop), and Kim Ho-ryeong (center fielder). In response, Kiwoom will start with right-handed pitcher Park Jun-hyun, lineup up as follows: Choi Jae-hyun (center fielder), Davison (first baseman), Ahn Chi-hong (second baseman), Kim Woong-bin (third baseman), Park Chan-hyuk (right fielder), Kim Geon-hee (designated hitter), Lee Hyung-jong (left fielder), Kim Dong-heon (catcher), and Kwon Hyeok-bin (shortstop).

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*This content was translated by AI.