The starters pitched more than 100 pitches and the bullpen continued to pitch… Lotte pitcher abuse controversy

The starters pitched more than 100 pitches and the bullpen continued to pitch… Lotte pitcher abuse controversy

The professional baseball Lotte Giants are embroiled in controversy every day. Due to the sudden voluntary resignation of coach Larry Sutton, the team was criticized for being a so-called ‘front baseball’, and now there is controversy over ‘mistreatment’ of players. At the center is Acting Director Jong-woon Lee. This manager has a history of being criticized for similar incidents during his time as the head coach, so fans are highly critical of him.

Lee Jong-un, Lotte Acting Director
Under this acting system, which took over on the 28th of last month, Lotte recorded 5 wins and 5 losses. It’s not a particularly bad performance, but if you look closely, the players are being overworked by the management of the game as if there is no ‘tomorrow’.

First, starting pitchers are throwing more than 100 pitches every day, increasing the burden on their shoulders. Aaron Wilkerson appeared in three games and threw 315 pitches. He ranks first in the number of pitches among all pitchers in the KBO League who appeared in three games during this period. Park Se-woong, who appeared in two games, threw 216 pitches. Among players with the same number of appearances, he ranks 2nd overall. Charlie Barnes also threw 204 pitches in two games. Na Kyun-an, who appeared in one game, threw 113 balls. Although Na Kyun-an recently suffered a hamstring injury, it was difficult to find him managing the number of pitches in this agency system.

Considering that Toronto Blue Jays coach John Schneider is strictly controlling Ryu Hyun-jin, who recently returned from injury, from throwing more than 80 pitches despite his good pitching, Na Kyun-an is being abused.메이저놀이터

The situation in the bullpen is more serious. Kim Sang-soo, who wore the Lotte uniform this season, played in 63 games this season as of the 8th, ranking first along with Kim Jin-seong (LG) for the most appearances. Even in this acting system, he forced a series of fights and eventually collapsed during the game against NC on the 8th. Kim Sang-soo, who was on the mound in the 7th inning with a 3-2 lead at the time, threw 9 pitches and did not get a single strike, allowing 2 walks and 1 hit to the body, putting himself in danger of having the bases loaded without any outs. Finally, after throwing his ninth pitch, he was helped down from the mound, clutching his right thigh and complaining of pain. As a result of the examination, he was diagnosed with a muscle rupture, effectively confirming his absence from the season. Assistant Manager Lee said Kim Sang-soo’s physical condition was noticeably poor, and he allowed him to face three batters even in a situation where he overballed the ball, which ultimately increased his anger.

Koo Seung-min, who appeared in 61 games this season, was forced out early after feeling discomfort in his shoulder during the game on the 4th due to frequent business trips. Jin Seung-hyun, a second-year rookie, also took part in three consecutive pitches, and the load on the bullpen reached critical mass.

Acting manager Lee also faced controversy over abuse during his time as Lotte’s head coach. In 2015, when he was the manager of Lotte, he did not remove Kang Min-ho, who suffered a hamstring injury during a game, from the first team, but instead used him as a pinch hitter. Kim Min-ha, who was hit on the wrist by a dead ball, was left on defense without being replaced, but was later left out of the game as the player himself announced his intention to be replaced. The results of the examination showed a fracture. Foreign hitter Jim Aducci was also allowed to play despite bleeding on the hand after being hit by a ball.

There is also a famous anecdote in which he was criticized by fans for allowing Son Ah-seop, whose father was in critical health, to compete without sending him to the hospital.

Lotte is virtually guaranteed to advance to fall baseball this season. Rather than forcefully forcing players to participate, it is time to start taking care of their bodies now for next year.