‘AG Representative’ Kwak-Bin, ‘Last Start’ Against KIA on the 18th…”I can’t throw on the 22nd”

Doosan Bears ‘homegrown ace’ Kwak Bin has been scheduled for his final appearance before joining the national team.

After the Bears’ 14th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the KIA Tigers at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field was canceled due to rain on the 16th, Doosan head coach Lee Seung-yeop announced that he will start Raul Alcantara and Kwak-Bin against KIA on the 17th and 18th.

Initially, Kwak-Bin was expected to start on the 17th and make one more start on the 22nd against the Samsung Lions in Daegu before rejoining the national team after four days of rest. However, after the 16th game was canceled due to rain, the 18th game will be rescheduled, meaning Doosan will have to play an eight-game series. Kwak-Bin’s pitching schedule was also rescheduled. As a result, Kwak-Bin will only pitch one game before joining the national team.

Manager Lee Seung-yeop said, “It’s a burden. We played on a Monday in Busan last week, and we’re playing again on a Monday in two weeks. Last week, we were supposed to play nine games, but it rained, so we took a day off, and if it doesn’t rain this time, we have to think about playing eight games, so Kwak-bin won’t be able to pitch on the 22nd and will have to go to the national team. (Someone) has to fill that spot. It’s going to be a mess, so we’ll have to reorganize.”

Kwak Bin has struggled in his last two outings, lasting less than five innings before being pulled from the game, but he has been an integral part of the team all season as a native ace. His record this season is 10-7 with a 3.12 ERA in 21 games and 115⅓ innings pitched.메이저사이트

When he was healthy, Kwak was able to go five or six innings on a regular basis, sometimes extending into the seventh or eighth inning. One of the challenges for Doosan in the fall baseball season will be how the bullpen holds up without him for more than two weeks.

For now, with Kwak-Bin’s scheduled start against Samsung Electronics on the 22nd being canceled, a change in the starting rotation is inevitable. Left-handers Jang Won-jun and Choi Seung-yong will start against the NC Dinos in Jamsil on the 19th and 20th, and Brandon Waddell will start against Samsung on the 21st. However, due to the finalization of the eight-game schedule, the rotation after the 21st is undecided.

Due to the nature of the remaining games, teams with relatively easy schedules can continue to use their 1-3 starters. Doosan, which is playing eight games, is not in that position. “I’m actually worried about that part because the other team will continue to have strong pitchers,” Lee said. It remains to be seen if the sixth-ranked Doosan, who have kept their hopes alive with a five-game winning streak, can continue to do so in Kwak’s absence.