The KIA Tigers’ hot batting line was on the verge of collapse.
KIA bowed 2-3 in the game against KT Wiz held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 24th. After one win, they suffered two consecutive losses and stagnated in 6th place. Above all, an emergency situation occurred during the game when the 4th batter, Choi Hyeong-woo, collapsed due to injury. 안전놀이터
Dizzying situations occurred 7 times. In the bottom of the 7th inning, when the team was down 0-1, Choi Hyeong-woo, who was the leadoff hitter, hit a powerful ball toward second base. Because there was a strong drive, opposing second baseman Park Kyung-soo was unable to catch it properly.
Choi Hyeong-woo saw that he could survive and ran with all his might. First baseman Park Byeong-ho hurriedly returned to base and tried to avoid his leg sticking out behind the base, but got slightly caught and fell to the ground. In the process, his left shoulder was hit hard. He was immediately taken to Good Hospital and underwent an X-RAY examination.
As a result of his examination, he was diagnosed with a fractured left clavicle. The club announced on the 25th that it would undergo a re-examination at Sejong Orthopedic Clinic in Seoul. Typically, this is a process of obtaining an accurate opinion through a re-examination. His exact rehabilitation period will also be announced. With only 20 games, Choi Hyung-woo’s remaining season in 2023 is hopeless.
Choi Hyung-woo played a solid role as a troubleshooter this year. On this day, he had a batting average of .302, 17 home runs, and 81 RBI, including 2 hits. He had the most RBIs on the team. His scoring average is over .300 and his OPS (slugging percentage + on-base percentage) is 0.887. He led the team with outstanding performance that belied his age.
Moreover, in the Gwangju game against LG on the 19th, Na Seong-beom, who had a monster hit, suffered a right hamstring injury while sprinting from second to third base, ending the season early. He returned from injury at the end of June and recorded a batting average of .365, 18 home runs, 57 RBI, and an OPS of 1.098. Along with Choi Hyung-woo, he led the Tigers’ volcanic batting lineup as a double solver.
Although we will only know exactly when the re-examination results come out on the 25th, there is a greater possibility that the season will end early for the 3rd and 4th batters. When the news of Choi Hyung-woo’s collarbone fracture came, team leader Shim Jae-hak looked devastated.
He must fight for the top five in 20 games without the two pillars leading the team’s central batting lineup. Starting next week, leadoff player Park Chan-ho is scheduled to return after two weeks from a finger injury. If they lose their 3rd and 4th batters within a week, KIA’s batting lineup is expected to experience great difficulty in scoring.