Ace vacant seats split…eyes on Changwon

Ace vacant seats split…eyes on Changwon

Baseball’s postseason is in full swing, but each team’s ace has yet to take the mound due to injury. The odds are stacked against them.

The Doosan Bears called it quits on fall baseball early without even using their No. 1 starter, Raul Alcantara. He was physically fine, but his schedule was disrupted. He pitched against the SSG Landers on the 16th, one game before the end of the regular season, so he was unavailable for the wild-card game on the 19th. The choice to try to regain fourth place turned out to be a handshake.

SSG put together a semi-playoff (semi-PO) rotation without their most obvious starter. Left-hander Kirk McCarty went 9-5 in 24 games this season. His 3.39 ERA was the lowest among the team’s starters.

His season ended prematurely when he injured his right obliques on March 23 against the Lotte Giants. He was placed on the disabled list, but his position was in the bullpen, not the starting rotation. SSG manager Kim Won-hyung said that McCarty could start after the PO.토토사이트

The team with the biggest ace void was the NC Dinos. Three-time pitching champion Eric Peddie’s performance was strong. Pedi, who was cruising past the 20-win-200-strikeout milestone, was removed from the game against the KIA Tigers on April 16 after being hit by a pitch to the right forearm. He was diagnosed with a simple bruise, not a serious injury, but missed the early part of the quarterfinals to focus on his recovery.

Crisis turned to opportunity. An explosive batting lineup helped the team clinch the wild-card matchup with Tanner Tully. In the first game of the Quarterfinals, Shin Min-hyuk’s surprise pitching helped the team win the game. The team overcame back-to-back tough games without a clear leadoff hitter. With that margin, they saved Pedi in the second game.

After resting for eight days following his injury, Pedi will return to action in the third game of the Quarterfinals on April 25 in Changwon. Despite not being in the best of shape, head coach Kang Myung-hyun himself confirmed before the second game on the 23rd that “I can’t postpone (his appearance) any longer.” The decision was made with the PO schedule in mind. If Pedi returns after Game 4, it will be difficult for him to pitch the first game of the PO in the rotation. To counter this, SSG announced left-hander Oh Won-seok as the starter.

KT, who finished second in the regular season and went straight to the PO, naturally has its eyes on Changwon. KT boasts the strongest starting lineup in the league, but Fedina McCarty is the number one target to watch out for. It will be interesting to see how many games they will pitch in the PO, as well as how well they have recovered from their injuries.