"Will you come to see us?"
The LG Twins had bad news while playing the solo in the early days of the season. Foreign pitcher Eliaser Hernandez has a thigh injury that left him with a gap of about six weeks. LG is looking for alternative foreign players for Australia and Japan.
At a game between LG and SSG held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Tuesday, LG launched Kim Ju-on, who was called up from the second division due to Hernandez's injury, as a starting pitcher.
Kim Joo-on, who was drafted by Samsung as the 72nd overall pick in the second round of the 2015 draft, moved to SK through the second round of the draft in November 2017 and was recruited by LG after being released by SSG in June last year. His overall record in the first division is 9.00 ERA in 39 games (42 innings) without winning or losing.
It was Kim's first start since his debut as a pro bowler. He was on the verge of loading the bases with no outs due to pitches, walks and pitches in the bottom of the first inning, and allowed Han Yu-seom to strike out, but allowed Park to throw a walk. That was all. He was substituted early. He had two walks and two walks in the ⅓ innings, and allowed one run.
LG lost to SSG 3-9 on the day. It lost 18 wins and five losses (.783) and lost 80 percent of its competition rate. The number of wins against Hanwha, the runner-up with seven consecutive wins, has decreased to five.
LG, which is dominating the lead early in the season, urgently needs to recruit alternative foreign players to fill Hernandez's six-week gap. Starting from the 2024 season, the KBO has introduced an "alternative foreign player recruitment system" that allows foreign players to replace them when they are out of power due to injuries during the season.
If a foreign player suffers an injury that requires treatment for more than six weeks, he or she can register a new foreign player after the contract is terminated, list the player on the rehabilitation squad, and sign a contract with an alternative foreign player without using the number of replacements until the player returns.
Hernandez started against Samsung in Jamsil on the 15th and continued his "perfect" pitching until the second out of the sixth inning. The perfect pitch was broken when Lee Jae-hyun was on base with a hit ball, but he pitched six innings with one out, nine strikeouts, no hits and no walks.
He was replaced with a lump in his right front thigh, and the next day, the hospital examination revealed the news of a bolt from the blue. He was diagnosed with internal total muscle damage in his right femur. It is expected to take six weeks to recover. Coach Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "It is said that the inner thigh muscle was torn about 2.5 centimeters. I think it will take about six weeks to recover and prepare and return."
LG is now searching for a substitute for a foreign player. LG has the right to hold off on ENC, who played for LG for one season last year. "AnChen will come," Cha Myung-seok, the general manager of LG, said. "I have to throw a few times as a temporary replacement, not as a complete replacement, and throw a few times before returning, so would I leave the team that is under contract?" Cha Myung-seok, the general manager of LG, did not even think about the possibility. "If I get a visa, I can throw a couple of times when I come here..." he sighed.
Ence, who recorded 13 wins, 6 losses and a 4.19 ERA in 30 games for LG last year, is playing for Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens under the Detroit Tigers this year. He has one loss and a 2.80 ERA in four games. Ence started the game against the Indianapolis Indians, where Bae Ji-hwan is playing, on the 18th and allowed five runs (one earned run) in four ⅔ innings. 안전놀이터
However, we cannot afford to let this go. "We are looking into Australia and Japan," Cha said. He is also continuously linking his team to the U.S. team. During the spring camp in February, LG invited Australian pitcher Coen Win to test him in preparation for the Asian quarter, which will be implemented next year.
It is difficult to bring players with KBO league experience such as Elias playing in Taiwan. "I heard most players in Taiwan have their contracts tied up to prevent them from leaving until July. They want to go to Korea," Yeom said. "Elly doesn't have a complete replacement. There is no better pitcher than Elly right now. I have no intention of complete replacement."
Coach Yeom said, "In the case of short-term replacement outsiders, the choice is very narrow. I can play for about a month because I'm a temporary replacement player, but it's not easy to give up my current position and come."
Hernandez once suffered a thigh muscle injury four years ago when he was playing in the U.S. Cha Myung-seok, the team's general manager, said, "I know. But it's okay as long as it sticks to it because it's a torn muscle." He did not worry too much because it was a simple muscle injury, not a ligament or bone injury in his elbow or shoulder.