Kia Tigers pitcher Jung Hae-young (22), who received the most votes for the KBO All-Star Game for the second time as a closer in the history of professional baseball, will miss the ‘Feast of Stars’ due to injury.
“It will be difficult for him to participate in the All-Star Game due to shoulder inflammation, and he will rest until the All-Star break and return in the second half of the season,” Kia manager Lee Beom-ho said ahead of the team’s game against the Busan Lotte Giants on Friday.
Jeong Jung-young pitched in the first game of a doubleheader against the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on March 23 and felt shoulder discomfort while pitching.
A medical examination revealed rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder, and the Kia team removed him from the first team on the 24th.
Fortunately, it’s not a major injury. “I’m not too worried about it. It’s an inflammation that all pitchers have to some extent. Fortunately, I stopped pitching when I felt a little uncomfortable,” Lee said.
The next challenge is the All-Star Game on June 6 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon.
Jung took the honor of receiving the most votes in the All-Star fan vote with 1,396,777 out of 3.275 million votes cast.
It is the first time since Bong Joong-geun (formerly of the LG Twins) in 2013 that an All-Star pitcher was voted for both starting and relief roles.
Lee said, “For Jung-yeong, it’s the highest number of All-Star votes, so he’s going to want to play. So we’ve discussed with the KBO that even if he doesn’t play in the game, he will participate in the All-Star Game and other events.”
The KBO was pleased with Jung and the KIA organization’s response.
“If Jeong is unable to play, the rules require that the next highest vote-getter must play as a substitute,” said a KBO official. If the runner-up has already been selected as a manager’s pick, an additional player must be selected,” the official explained.
“We have no problem with Jeong attending the All-Star Game event. Watching the game from the dugout is no problem. We are already in talks with the KIA team about it,” he added.
KIA, the top-ranked team in the Korean Baseball Organization, lost its closer with nine games remaining in the first half.
“Rather than deciding on a replacement closer, we will use him according to the situation,” Lee said, adding, “There is a lot of rain in the forecast, so we will run the game while thinking about that situation.” 토토사이트 순위