The KIA team added that the specific rehabilitation period will be known after seeing the progress after the surgery. In addition, Nail needs psychological stability due to the fear of being hit in the face by a batted ball.
KIA, which had reached the 70th win of the season and raised its probability of advancing to the Korean Series to 76.5%, faced the unexpected situation of Nail's departure right as it was making a last-minute spurt to secure its first regular season title in 7 years.
This leaves only veteran Yang Hyeon-jong and Eric Lauer as reliable pitchers in the starting rotation.
Lauer, who has 36 career wins in the Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States, has not been able to shake off his uneasiness with his jump pitching in the three games on the Korean stage, so in reality, the only
커뮤니티 pitcher who can be trusted the most is Yang Hyeon-jong.
KIA, which has been running at the top spot despite overcoming numerous difficulties, has had difficulty managing the mound since May due to a series of injuries to starting pitchers.
First, the ambitiously recruited first-choice pitcher Will Crow went down with a right elbow injury in early May. The fourth-choice pitcher, left-handed pitcher Lee Eui-ri, decided to have surgery on his left elbow and ended his season early in late May.
Even left-handed pitcher Yoon Young-cheol, who had been solidly supporting the rotation as the fifth starter, was forced to leave in mid-July due to symptoms of a spinal stress fracture. The original goal was to undergo three weeks of rehabilitation, but there has been no word on when he will return.
After that, Nail and Yang Hyeon-jong filled the required innings and played an active role as the two mainstays of the starting lineup, but now that Nail has collapsed, Yang Hyeon-jong has the heavy responsibility of leading the young juniors, such as Hwang Dong-ha and Kim Do-hyeon, to play out the remaining games.
The sudden injury of Nail, the pitcher with the most wins (12 wins) on the team, is expected to instill a clear sense of purpose in KIA that they must advance to the Korean Series.
If KIA wins first place in the regular season, it will have more than three weeks to prepare for Nail's return. If it fails to win first place in the regular season and enters the postseason, KIA will be in a situation where it cannot guarantee advancement to the Korean Series.
KIA Tigers manager Lee Beom-ho and his coaching staff are expected to establish a mound strategy that focuses on must-win games in the remaining period, as the bullpen is currently in good shape.