Rookie Jung Hyun-woo eventually left his shoulder injury... Raising domestic starters run a thorny road

Rookie Jung Hyun-woo eventually left his shoulder injury... Raising domestic starters run a thorny road

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Chung Hyeon-woo (19), who had a starting rotation as a rookie, left due to a shoulder injury. A bad news broke out for the Kiwoom Heroes, which has only one foreign pitcher.

Chung Hyun-woo was removed from the first-team entry on the 17th. "During training on the previous day (16th), there were symptoms of muscle clumping on the left shoulder, and after a checkup in Seoul today (17th), inflammation was found," Kiwoom coach Hong Won-ki said. Cross-check results were no different. Ahead of the KT Wiz match at Gocheok on the 18th, Hong said, "I was told that I needed a four-week rest due to fine muscle damage."메이저놀이터

Chung Hyun-woo was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 Rookie Draft. He proved his quality as a "super rookie" in this year's spring camp, and was selected as the fourth starting pitcher of the season. He won two games and posted an ERA of 4.80 in three games he played.

Some regard it as a foreseen injury. Chung threw 122 pitches in a match against the Kia Tigers on June 26, when he made his debut in the first division. This was the second highest number of pitches in the history of high school graduates.

At the time, head coach Hong Won-ki also put forward Jung Hyun-woo in the fifth inning, who recorded 93 pitches until the fourth inning, as Kiwoom led 11-4 until the top of the fifth inning. The move was aimed at meeting the requirements for Chung to become a winning pitcher. He failed to replace the team even after hitting more than 110 pitches due to struggles by Kia's lower-ranked batters. Chung finished five innings, and Kiwoom won 17-10 to secure the starting pitcher's win from its debut. However, controversy erupted over the Kiwoom bench's decision.

Ten days later, Chung took the mound for the second time in the game against the Gocheok NC Dinos on Thursday, and did his part by allowing two runs in five innings. After resting on Thursday, he became the winning pitcher at the game against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on Wednesday, giving up only two runs during five innings.

However, as concerns over the aftereffects of 122 pitches subsided, Chung eventually got sick. It is true that the number of pitches he throws has increased significantly compared to his high school days. It is possible that this injury is a form of growing pains that people normally experience. However, Kiwoom's coaching staff and training parts are inevitably concerned about Chung's recurrence of injury.

Kiwoom's Jung Hyun-woo left, making it difficult to manage the starting lineup. Jeon Jun-pyo, who played against KT on the 17th instead of Jung Hyun-woo, failed to fill three innings and performed only the "opener" task. In the match against KT on the 18th, Kim Sun-ki, who played in the starting rotation in the first half of last season (2024), was defeated 1-1 due to the collapse by giving up eight points until the third inning.

Kim Yoon-ha, the third starting pitcher, also had seven runs versus an earned run average (7.33), and only lost four games without a win. Ha Young-min, the second starting pitcher, has allowed six runs in two consecutive appearances. Kiwoom's domestic pitcher who started the game until Tuesday has an earned run average of 6.78. Ahead of the match between the KT Wiz at Gocheok on Tuesday, Hong Won-ki also agonized more over the fact that he has not been able to play as many innings as the first and third starting pitchers rather than the fourth and fifth starting pitchers. Even Chung Hyun-woo, who had the most sense of stability, has left the mound. He will likely continue to face more challenges.