LG Twins manager Yoon Kyung-yeop met with reporters at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on Monday and expressed his frustration with foreign pitcher Adam Plutko (32). Plutko hasn’t taken the mound since last month’s game against the Changwon NC Dinos. He suffered a pelvic contusion, but there is a difference between the player’s and the club’s views on the extent of his recovery. Plutko insists that he needs more time to recover, while the club believes that he can return to the mound. The manager is frustrated.
When Plutko was first diagnosed with a pelvic contusion, the team sent him to a hospital in the United States for a second opinion. Plutko told the club that it would take four to five weeks to recover. Although the recovery period was longer than the one diagnosed by the Korean hospital, the team respected Plutko’s wishes and waited until now.
Yeom made it a priority to have Plutko available for fall baseball. LG signed Plutko ahead of the season for a total of $1.4 million, including a $300,000 signing bonus, $800,000 in salary, and $300,000 in incentives. As the KBO’s highest paid foreign pitcher, it was hard to give up on Plutko.
There’s no denying that Plutko lived up to his billing this season before getting sick. His 11-3 record in 21 games, 123 1/3 innings pitched, and 2.41 ERA helped pave the way for LG to take the lead.
The problem is accountability. If Plutko had shown a desire to return to the field sooner rather than later, even if he was truly unable to pitch, it would have been less frustrating for the waiting clubs. However, he didn’t show that willingness, so his manager eventually expressed his disappointment. Furthermore, the hospital in Korea says that Plutko can now throw the ball without any problems, but he says it is difficult. Suspicions are bound to arise between the club and the player.
For now, the club took a step back because of the player’s health. “I don’t think Plutko will be able to play in the regular season. He says he can’t throw, so his body is the most important thing to him.”
When a player says he can’t keep throwing the ball, the team has to make a decision. The LG squad has been working as a unit to win its first championship in 29 years, since 1994. The magic number for a first-place finish in the regular season has been reduced to six, and the team will have to prepare to win the overall title if they advance directly to the Korean Series. If Plutko continues to make noise during this process, it could be a problem at a crucial time when the team needs to come together as a unit.
Yeom has made a compromise. After the Chuseok holiday, Plutko will undergo another checkup at a Korean hospital. Yim said he would only decide whether to keep Pluto for the rest of the season after hearing the results of the Korean doctor’s examination.
“When he was first injured, the American hospital said five weeks. When they examined him in Korea, they said he was fine, so I told them to move up (his return). I’ve said enough. I’ve given him my message and it’s his decision. If he says he can’t throw, it’s not my body and I can’t force him to throw. I’m going to get an accurate examination from the team’s designated hospital and make the final decision,” he said.
“The first thing we will look at is his will. His will is the most important thing. In Korea, he was diagnosed with no problem, but it’s for him to decide and talk to the U.S. side, so I can’t force him,” he added, emphasizing that along with the results of the medical examination, Plutko’s willingness to return will also be important. 카지노사이트가이드
The first priority is to avoid harming the players who are currently doing their best to win on the mound and in the field. “We have to decide whether to play them in the Korean Series or not. We have to set up and prepare, and we have to let them know if they’re going to start or if they’re going to be in the middle. There’s a huge difference between being given a task and preparing for it and just preparing for it. The team itself can be up and down.”
Taking Plutko out of the lineup would be a big decision for the commander, which is why he’s given him plenty of time.
“I worked very hard to get him in the team. I think we’ve done everything we can to include him. If he says he can’t pitch, I can’t pitch,” he said bluntly.
The team did everything they could. Now it’s up to Plutko’s physical condition and willpower. If Plutko doesn’t show that he wants to pitch in the Korean Series, LG will have to make a decision. That time is running out.