Will Koo Chang-mo (NC Dinos) be able to get on a plane to Hangzhou by showing off not only his health but also his remaining abilities in his first actual appearance since returning from injury?

Koo Chang-mo will take the mound as a starting pitcher in the Futures (Second Division) League game against KT Wiz held at Iksan Baseball Stadium on the 19th.

This is Koo Chang-mo’s first actual appearance since returning from injury. He was expunged from the first team entry due to microscopic damage to his left flexor muscle on June 3, and was diagnosed with a stress fracture at the end of June. Previously, Koo Chang-mo was absent for about three months due to an injury in a similar area in the second half of the 2020 season, and in 2021, he took an entire season off due to plate fixation surgery for an ulnar stress fracture. Although it was reported that the injured area was different this time, it was true that there was great concern because it was a very sensitive area.

Koo Chang-mo’s physical condition was also a matter of great concern not only to himself and the NC club, but also to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games baseball team led by coach Ryu Joong-il. National team coach Ryu Joong-il and the Strengthening Committee included Koo Chang-mo in the lineup last June despite the news of his injury.

The reason was clear. Koo Chang-mo is a left-handed pitcher who best fits the description of being the best ace in the league when healthy. He was nominated by NC as the 3rd overall pick in the 2nd 1st round in 2015, and had 46 wins, 34 losses, and an average ERA of 3.74 in 163 games (628.2 innings) until last year. He achieved double-digit wins in the 2019 season (10 wins) and the 2022 season (11 wins), and even in the 2020 season, which was shortened due to the aftermath of COVID-19, he recorded 9 wins, no losses, and an ERA of 1.74, contributing to NC’s combined championship. .

This national team, which looks to the future, is comprised mainly of young players. Koo Chang-mo, who was selected as a wild card, was highly anticipated as a player who would serve as a leader of the pitching staff. However, as his return was delayed, the theory of his replacement arose, and it is currently impossible to guarantee that he will go to Hangzhou.

메이저사이트In fact, Koo Chang-mo has always suffered from injuries to the extent that he has never played a single regulation inning since his debut. He suffered from a right internal oblique muscle injury in 2019 and a stress fracture in his lower back the same year, and as mentioned earlier, a stress fracture in his left forearm has been bothering him since the 2020 season. As a result of this, he ended up on the operating table for the 2021 season, and a hamstring injury hindered him in the 2022 season. And this year, Koo Chang-mo is not free from injury, and the red light is on for him to join the national team.

This competition is very important to Koo Chang-mo himself. If you participate in a competition and win a gold medal, you can receive special military service benefits. However, if you fail to make the national team or fail to hunt for a gold medal even if you participate, you will have to enlist in the Armed Forces Athletic Corps at the end of this season.

The clock for Koo Chang-mo’s return, which had been moving slowly, began to speed up at the end of August. He started by playing catch and threw his first bullpen pitch at Masan Baseball Stadium on the 5th. Koo Chang-mo, who first threw 20 balls from a short distance, immediately threw 10 balls from a normal distance. In the bullpen pitch held on the 7th, he threw 30 balls from the normal distance, and on the 10th, he threw 50 bullpen pitches at the normal distance, with a ratio of fastballs and breaking balls at 6:4.

Koo Chang-mo, who is considering switching to the bullpen when he returns to remain in the national team, then performed live pitching at Masan Baseball Stadium on the 13th, throwing 30 pitches in total, 2 innings of 15 pitches each. He was scheduled to start in the Futures League game against Sangmu, which was scheduled to be held at Masan Baseball Stadium on the 16th, but the game was canceled and he replaced it with a bullpen pitch. At that time, it was rumored that all aspects, including pitching balance and pitching, were better than before.

Afterwards, he finally made his first actual appearance after returning from injury against the KT Futures team at Iksan Baseball Stadium on this day. NC coach Kang In-kwon, whom I met recently, said, “Goo Chang-mo will go to Iksan on Tuesday (19th) and pitch as a starter for a maximum of 2 innings and 30 pitches.” He added, “I think we will have to watch the progress (after throwing). “He plans to check how it is after throwing,” he explained.

There are some concerns because he is picking up the pace so quickly, but Gu Chang-mo’s current physical condition is very good. Coach Kang heard that (Goo Chang-mo) was good when he was pitching from the bullpen today (16th). “He said there was no discomfort, and he also said it felt good,” he said. “It doesn’t seem to be too much of a strain on the body, but it may be different from the actual game, so I need to check it out.”

In reality, Gu Chang-mo does not have much time. The national team will be convened on the 23rd, and the competition schedule will begin in early October. In order for Koo Chang-mo to head to Hangzhou, he must prove not only that he is healthy but also that his skills have not rusted.