KIA Tigers are reportedly in contact with Eric Stout, who plays in the Taiwanese league as a foreign pitcher to replace James Nail, who faced the bad luck of being hit in the face by a hit.안전놀이터
Taiwan’s local media reported on the 27th that “KIA has signed a contract with Stout belonging to the Zhongxin Brothers of the Taiwan Professional Baseball (CPBL).”
Earlier on the 24th, Nail was hampered by a bad news of being hit on the chin by leadoff hitter Matt Davidson in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Changwon NC Dinos.
As if the pain was severe, Nail immediately ran and entered the dugout, covering her face with both hands. Afterwards, she underwent jaw joint fixation at Asan Medical Center in Seoul on Saturday, but is in fact in a difficult situation to return during the regular season.
Nail, who joined hands with KIA ahead of this season, is an ace with 12 wins, 5 losses and an ERA of 2.53 in 26 games (149.1 innings). “I sincerely thank everyone who has worried and prayed for me. God took good care of me last night. The surgery went well, and now I am focusing on recovery,” he said on his personal SNS on the 25th. “I thank the Asan Medical Center officials for their help in surgery and treatment, and I also thank the KIA Tigers and the NC Dinos team. Fighting.”
With only 22 regular league games to go, Kia has quickly looked for a foreign pitcher to fill this void. This signifies its determination not to lose No. 1 ranking.
Stout, who is said to be close to signing a contract with KIA, is a left-hander called by the Kansas City Royals as the 393rd overall in the 13th round of the 2014 draft. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in Kansas City in 2018 and has played for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. His overall record in the big leagues is 7.30 ERA with one save and one hold in 23 games.
Since then, Stout, who wore a Taiwanese league heavy-duty uniform, has played 20 games (19 starts, 113.2 innings) this year, recording 10 wins, 5 losses and a 2.77 ERA.
“We are positively considering (the recruitment of Starout),” an KIA official said in a phone call with a reporter.
However, even if Kia recruits Stout, Stout is not allowed to play in the post season under the regulations. Under the KBO League regulations, Stout is allowed to play in the post season only when it is registered as an official player before August 15. For Kia, the best scenario is that Stout’s successful performance confirms its regular season win and advance to the Korean Series, and that Nail will return healthy before the Korean Series.