KIA Tigers foreign pitcher Mario Sanchez was designated for assignment on Saturday.

Elbow soreness was the cause. Sanchez, who won the game against the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on May 25 with seven innings of two-hit ball, one walk (one hit), six strikeouts, and one run, complained of right elbow discomfort after the game. On the morning of the 26th, he informed the club that his condition had improved since he woke up, but an initial examination at the club’s designated hospital revealed an abnormality. KIA decided to conduct a second checkup in Seoul on the morning of the 28th.

This is unexpected news. Sanchez, who signed with KIA last month as a replacement foreign player, made his debut on July 9 against the Suwon KT Wiz, pitching 6⅓ innings with 10 strikeouts and one earned run. He pitched over six innings in his second outing, and there were high hopes that he would help KIA’s fall baseball campaign, but he continued his sluggish trend afterward as he struggled with the opposition’s intensive control.

The game against Hanwha was a preview of Sanchez’s rebound. He pitched seven innings and threw less than 100 pitches. His velocity dropped sharply after 80 pitches, which raised concerns, but he settled down after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. He gave up a run in the seventh inning, his last inning of work, but got all three outs to record a quality start (7+ innings pitched, 3 earned runs or less). With the win over Hanwha, it looked like Sanchez had found his groove.메이저사이트

For KIA, who were relieved by Sanchez’s rebound, there was a sigh of relief. KIA has been dealing with a lot of starting pitching issues lately, including Yang Hyun-jong’s slump and Lee Yi-ri’s shoulder inflammation. Panoni and Yoon Young-cheol have been anchoring the starting rotation, but the team desperately needs the rest of its pitching staff to rebound in order to gain momentum for the top five. Yang Hyun-jong returned from the Gwangju Hanwha game on the 26th, and Lee Yi-ri is expected to return in 10 days after being diagnosed with simple inflammation. With Sanchez’s rebound, there were hopes for a stable starting rotation, but an unexpected elbow injury threatened to derail those hopes.