NC Dinos Koo Chang-mo made his first real appearance in the Futures League in a long time and pitched well without giving up any goals, expressing his hopes for participating in the Asian Games.
Koo Chang-mo took the mound as a starting pitcher in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Futures League game against KT Wiz held at Iksan Stadium on the 19th, and pitched 2 innings with no walks, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts, and no runs. He threw a total of 27 pitches, including a fastball of up to 145 km/h, a slider, and a forkball, and 19 of them were strikes.먹튀검증
Koo Chang-mo, who set off leader Lee Si-won in the bottom of the first inning with a fly ball to shortstop, also caught Lee Sang-ho with a fly ball to center field, and struck out Hwang Ui-jun with a missed swing with three balls to end the inning cleanly. In the bottom of the second inning, he grounded Kang Min-seong to third base, struck out Lee Jun-hee on three pitches, and allowed an infield hit to Han Ji-yong, but ended his pitching that day by catching Ji Kang-hyuk with a foul fly to left field.
Koo Chang-mo, who finished pitching for the first time in a long time, looked back and said, “I’m glad I finished the given inning cleanly without worrying about my body. It’s been a while since I pitched in an official game, and I felt good overall.” He said, “The fastball was good, and although I didn’t throw many breaking balls, I was satisfied,” adding, “I was nervous on the mound, but I was able to finish well with catcher Shin Yong-seok’s good lead.”
Koo Chang-mo took the mound as a starter in the game against LG in Jamsil on June 2, but at the end of a five-pitch match against lead hitter Hong Chang-gi in the bottom of the first inning, he threw Hong Chang-gi out with a fly ball and then raised his hand to the dugout to announce that he was unwell. He had pain in his left forearm.
Gu Chang-mo, who was immediately taken to the hospital for a checkup, was diagnosed with damage to the flexor muscles of his left forearm. The estimated rehabilitation period at that time was 3 to 5 weeks. Although there were injuries, Koo Chang-mo was named to the final entry list for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games baseball national team, which was released a week later.
However, it took longer than expected. Meanwhile, the Asian Games were fast approaching, and there were concerns about whether Koo Chang-mo would be able to pitch normally in the competition, and there were voices calling for a replacement player to be selected. His first training with the national team was on the 23rd. With only four days left until the convocation date, Koo Chang-mo dramatically turned on the green light to join the national team.
Coach Kang In-kwon said of Koo Chang-mo ahead of the Jamsil Doosan game on the 19th, “I don’t think there are any abnormal symptoms after throwing. As of now, there is no discomfort (in the injured area), so I will think about it after today, but for now, I am thinking of calling him up tomorrow.” reported.
Manager Kang In-kwon said, “As a starter, I don’t have enough pitches right now, so I think I’ll have to wait in the bullpen. Since I pitched today, it won’t be easy to take the mound tomorrow, but I’m going to come out and check my physical condition. I also have to pitch a series, so I’ll do that.” “We are also considering this,” he explained.
If he improves his pitching count after the Asian Games, he should be given the starting role in the postseason. Manager Kang In-kwon predicted, “If we go into the postseason, of course he will be a starter. Since the number of pitches is not full yet, I think we will have to use him as a bullpen for now and switch to a starter after seeing the number of pitches.”
He added, “When I look at the number of pitches when I return from the national team, it seems that even if it is not 100 pitches, I can be a starter with about 80 pitches. If I can fill 80 pitches, I should be a starter then.”
Meanwhile, NC’s catcher Kim Hyeong-jun and shortstop Kim Joo-won have also been called up to the national team, and will soon have to play the game without these two players. Coach Kang In-kwon said, “First of all, I think both Kim Hyeong-jun and Kim Joo-won will have to play according to the game.”
Coach Kang said, “I think it’s important to replace these players with which players they miss, so we’re discussing that with the coaches in various ways. We’re fighting for rankings right now, so we need two players.”
Coach Kang In-kwon said, “I think it is important to face off against teams that are fighting for the rankings. There are 4 games left for Doosan, 6 games for KIA, and 5 games for SSG, so I think this will be a very important battle. Still, there are some injured players last week. “Thanks to the rain, I was able to recover a lot through rest. I’m hoping that we’ll see better results this week,” he said.