After winning the regular season title, the LG Twins will be playing the Korean Series without foreign pitcher Plutko.
“Plutko, OUT,” LG manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said, cutting to the chase. As LG attempts to win its first Korean Series title in 29 years, since 1994, it must address the foreigner risk.
“It’s over, it’s out,” manager Yoon Kyung-yeop said of Flutko with a bitter smile before the game against Doosan in Jamsil on April 14. “It’s unfortunate, but I can’t do anything about it, so there’s no need for me to say it again… Out,” he cut off.
“The three starting pitchers (for the Korean Series) are Kelly, Im Chan-kyu and Choi Won-tae, and the fourth will be decided by the opposing team (Lee Jung-yong and Kim Yun-sik),” Yeom said. It remains to be seen whether Im and Choi Won-tae will be the two starters and who will be the fourth.
Why Plutko and company ended in disaster.
Plutko was one of the best pitchers in the league in the first half of the season. In the first 17 games, he went 11-1 with a 2.21 ERA. He was the ace in the hole in the absence of starter Kelly. NC Peddy 토토사이트(12-2 with a 1.71 ERA in 15 games) and Doosan Alcantara (9-3 with a 2.03 ERA in 17 games) were the top three foreign pitchers.
However, a cold and nagging injuries in the second half of the season began to derail the team’s plans. After pitching so many innings in the first half, Plutko was given ample rest from the end of the first half through the All-Star break and the beginning of the second half to ensure his health.
“He said he wanted to take a longer break before the second half, so we gave him two weeks off,” Yeom explained at the time. After making his last appearance of the first half on July 8 against Lotte, Plutko made his first appearance of the second half on July 22 against KIA. It was a rainout.
After taking the loss against KT on July 25, Plutko was delayed due to a cold and high fever. He pitched for the first time in 20 days after being confirmed with COVID-19. On August 26, he suffered a left pelvic bone contusion against the Changwon NC. He was expected to rehabilitate for four weeks, possibly five.
LG Plutko talks with trainer Kim Yong-il and pitching coach Kim Kyung-tae after pitching in the bullpen in late September.
But in mid-September, dissonance was heard. On September 14 against Changwon, Yoon said, “It’s up to Plutko himself. He’ll have to make his own decision,” Yim said in a negative tone about the timing of Plutko’s return.
There were conflicting opinions between Plutko and the training staff about the rehabilitation process. On September 16, he tweeted, “He (Plutko) has different ideas. She’s putting her body first,” he said.
There were conflicting opinions from Plutko’s personal doctor in the U.S., Korean medical staff, and LG Training Part over the results of his medical tests (MRI, etc.). Plutko slowed down his rehabilitation based on his doctor’s opinion.
The player said that he prioritized ‘health’ to continue playing baseball with a healthy body not only this season but also next year and beyond, and that the team could not trust the Korean medical team’s opinion that he had fully recovered. As they failed to narrow their differences, they gradually lost trust and drifted apart.
On September 23 at Jamsil Stadium, Plutko pitched out of the bullpen for the first time since his injury. After the Chuseok holiday, he underwent another medical examination in early October, but did not continue pitching in the bullpen.
Plutko also seems to have lost the trust of his teammates. He did not attend LG’s regular season championship home game ceremony on Sept. 6, the regular season championship trophy presentation and fan appreciation ceremony at LG’s home finale on Sept. 15, or the Korean Series departure ceremony.