KIA won 6-5 against the Lotte Giants in the '2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League' held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 12th. With this win, KIA, which recorded 71 wins, 2 draws, and 68 losses, maintained a 2-game gap with 5th place Doosan.
However, KIA could not just smile at the victory that day. This is because Na Seong-beom, Choi Hyeong-woo, Park Chan-ho, and Choi Won-jun were injured and left out of the team, and Choi Ji-min was also injured in the game that day. Since mid-September, when competition for rankings has become fierce, key players have been suffering injuries one after another.
First of all, Na Seong-beom, who showed off his hot hitting skills with a batting average of .365 (81 hits in 222 at-bats), 18 home runs, 57 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.098 in 58 games this season, suffered a hamstring injury in the game against LG on the 19th of last month and was out of action. He was ruled out for the season after being diagnosed with a rehabilitation period of 10 to 12 weeks.
Choi Hyeong-woo, who had filled Na Seong-beom's vacancy by recording a batting average of .302 (130 hits in 431 at-bats) in 121 games this season, 17 home runs, 81 RBIs, and an OPS of .887, tripped on first baseman Park Byeong-ho's foot and fell to the left in the game against KT on the 24th of last month. I was diagnosed with a clavicle fracture. His rehabilitation is expected to take approximately four months. He will be unavailable for the remainder of the season.
In addition, starting shortstop Park Chan-ho suffered an unexpected injury. Chan-ho Park, who showed good performance this season with a batting average of .301 (136 hits in 452 at-bats) in 130 games, 3 home runs, 52 RBIs, 73 runs, 30 steals, and an OPS of .734, hit a 138 km/h two-seamer on the second pitch from KT starting pitcher Seon-woo Lee in the game against KT on the 5th. He was struck in the left forearm and suffered a comminuted fracture of his left ulna. The recovery period is 12 weeks, which is also out of the season.
Choi Won-jun, who was selected as a member of the national team for the Hangzhou Asian Games, suffered microscopic damage to the fascia and muscles of his left calf after being hit by a batted ball during national team training. He was unable to play even a single game in the Asian Games, and it was diagnosed that rehabilitation would take up to eight weeks. Wonjun Choi was discharged from Sangmu last June and recorded a batting average of .255 (61 hits in 239 at-bats), 1 home run, 23 RBIs, and an OPS of .672 in 67 games this season.
In addition, Choi Ji-min, who was last on the Asian Games national team with Choi Won-jun, was also injured after being hit on the left ankle by Jeon Jun-woo's batted ball in the match against Lotte on the 12th. Choi Ji-min, who collapsed on the mound, was unable to get up and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. The results of the examination came back showing a bruise, so it looks like the match against Doosan on the 13th will be difficult.
Choi Ji-min is a key KIA bullpen member who recorded 6 wins, 3 losses, 12 holds, 3 saves, and an ERA of 2.12 in 58 games (59 ⅓ innings) this season. It was his first appearance since returning from the Asian Games, but he had the misfortune of suffering an injury straight away.
KIA, which continues to have slim hopes of advancing to the postseason, is suffering from injuries to many of its key players to the point of despair. It's even more unfortunate because competition for rankings is fierce.
But he can't give up yet. Although he has suffered a major blow to his power, he is still in a situation where he can realistically aim to advance to the postseason. KIA has a game remaining against Doosan on the 13th and a game against NC on the 16th and 17th. If they catch both 4th place NC (73 wins, 2 draws, 65 losses) and 5th place Doosan (72 wins, 2 draws, 65 losses), KIA has a chance.
In this case, KIA will finish the season with 74 wins, 2 draws, and 68 losses. If Doosan records 2 wins and 2 losses in 4 games excluding the game against KIA, the score will be tied, and if it records 1 win and 3 losses or less, KIA will turn the tables. If NC records 1 win and 1 loss in 2 games excluding the game against KIA, it will tie, and if