KIA Tigers left-handed starting pitcher Lee Yi-ri (21), who faltered after giving up the most runs this season, is looking to bounce back.
Lee will start the third game of a midweek three-game series against the 2023 KBO League Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on April 22. He will be tasked with leading a winning series against KIA, which has a 1-2 record in the series.
It’s also a significant start for Lee personally. Lee hasn’t had a bad ERA or WHIP this season, but he’s allowed too many walks. Until his 11th start of the season against the Lotte Giants on April 4, he was walking a league-high 7.48 batters per nine innings. The gap to the second-place finisher, Han Hyun-hee (4.10), was huge.
Lee allowed three runs in six innings against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Tuesday. He only walked three batters. He also showed his competitive spirit by throwing himself out at first base while playing defense. He pitched flawlessly and led his team to a 6-3 victory.
However, in his next start, on the 16th, he fell apart against the NC Dinos. He gave up seven runs on three hits and six walks in three and two-thirds innings. He continued his strong start against Doosan on the 10th without giving up a run, but walked five in the fourth.
His start against Hanwha on April 22 will be a continuation of this trend. In his first start this season, on April 13, Han pitched five innings of one-run ball, but in his second start on April 25, he was ejected from the game for a head shot when he hit Kim In-hwan in the head with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning.
Hanwha had shown great focus in the first game the previous day (Nov. 21), scoring seven runs on eight hits. For Lee, the pressure is on to face Kim In-hwan again.카지노
The team situation is not good either. Foreign pitcher Adonis Medina continues to struggle, while other domestic starters Yang Hyun-jong and Yoon Young-chul were shaky in their most recent outings. While the hitters are in good shape individually, the team’s scoring has been erratic. In 17 games in June, the team won just six, drew one and lost 10. The only consolation is that the team didn’t fall too far off the five-win mark before Na Sung-beom, Kim Do-young, and other key batsmen returned from injury rehabilitation.
Lee’s shoulders are heavy. He has a crucial start ahead to rebound for his team and himself.