He was hit by a headshot when he was in a good mood. Kim Kang-min (42), the oldest outfielder in the Hanwha Eagles who newly appointed Kim Kyung-moon, has been excluded from the primary league due to aftereffects of a headshot.
After meeting with new manager Kim Kyung-moon on Thursday, Hanwha got on a bus bound for Suwon for an away game against KT that will take place starting on Friday. However, Kim Kang-min was not on the bus. He was excluded from the first team’s entry the day before due to the aftereffects of his head shot against Samsung in Daegu.
In the top of the seventh inning against Samsung, Kim was hit by a fastball of 145 kilometers per hour based on PTS on the third pitch of the opponent team’s pitcher Connor Seabold. Inevitably, the ball flew towards his head, and a dull sound rang out on the ground. The referee ordered Connor to leave the game in accordance with the rules for automatic ejection of headshot from the fastball.
Corner, however, seemed puzzled as he opened his arms when ordered to leave the mound, possibly because he thought the ball was hit by Kim Kang-min’s bat and turned into a foul. When Kim Kang-min, who saw Corner’s face despite the head shot shock, faced an angry look, players from both teams rushed to the ground and bench-cleared.
Corner apologized after belatedly finding out the situation, and there was no collision due to arbitration between veteran players of the two teams. Feeling dizzy, Kim was replaced by pinch runner Lee Sang-hyuk to protect players, and then moved to a nearby hospital for examination. CT scans showed nothing unusual.
However, he was hit by too sensitive an area. The shock did not go away that the swelling on the affected area did not go away even the next day. He still had dizziness and has been decided to cancel the entry of the first team on Tuesday to rest for the time being. Coincidentally, it was the day Kim Kyung-moon officially took office as the 14th head coach of the Hanwha Eagles. 룸알바
Despite his dizziness, Kim Kang-min visited Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the same day. It was to share the first meeting with Kim Kyung-moon. “Eagles TV” captured this image, and Kim looked surprised when he saw Kim Kang-min.
Director Kim asked Kim Kang-min’s physical condition first, saying, “Oh, why did you come out? Were you okay?” Kim Kang-min said, “But I thought I should see you.”When he said, “Let’s take a rest,” Kim patted him on the shoulder, saying, “Anyway, take care of yourself first. We’ll be doing well, so take care of yourself.”
Coach Kim expressed his intention to appoint veterans at the inauguration ceremony, saying, “Since there are not many games left (the rest of the season), I think we should use players who are a little older than young players now.”
This is no time to give up fall baseball with 87 games left in eighth place, 4.5 games behind fifth-ranked SSG. Coach Kim, who actively hired young players during his time at Doosan and NC Dinos, has taken over the team all of a sudden during the season, leaving little room to figure out players. Right now, he has no choice but to use and test young players in various ways, and veterans have no choice but to play bigger roles.
Kim Kang-min is expected to play a significant role in Kim’s plan. With no solid key center fielder in the lineup, Kim has a role to play. Kim Kang-min, who left the SK-SSG after being drafted by Hanwha in the second draft last year, is displaying the highest value by posting a batting average of 296 li (16 hits in 54 times at bat) with one homer and six RBIs in 28 games this season.
The turning point was that he had to recharge for 15 days due to mild hamstring pain in late April. Kim returned to the primary league on April 10 after going down to the Futures League, and hit hard with a batting average of 41.2 percent (14 hits from 34 times at bat), one home run and six RBIs and an OPS of 1.000 in 17 games. The center fielder’s defense is also strong, if not at the level of its heyday. It is regrettable that he cannot continue the sense of hitting when he is in a good mood due to the aftereffects of a sudden head shot, but he needs Kim’s strength to win baseball, which Kim Kyung-moon is pursuing.