With the decision on the final roster of the Hangzhou Asian Games team imminent, the speed of recovery of Koo Chang-mo (26), who must and hopes to play a key role on the national team’s mound, is expected to accelerate in earnest.스포츠토토

Last June, Koo Chang-mo was diagnosed with a microscopic injury to the forearm flexor muscle of his left arm. However, his recovery was slow, and after a re-examination, it was discovered that he had a stress fracture of the ulna in his left arm, forcing him to leave the team for a long period of time. He has already struggled in the second half of 2020 and his recovery has not been as good as 2021, with him undergoing plate fixation for an ulnar stress fracture. Although the pain was in a different area than the area where the surgery was performed at the time, both Gu Chang-mo and NC had no choice but to react sensitively. And the coaching staff of the Hangzhou Asian Games national team, including coach Ryu Joong-il, and technical committee chairman Cho Gye-hyeon also had no choice but to pay close attention to Koo Chang-mo’s injury and recovery.

Still, after focusing on rehabilitation for about three months, the bone density at the stress fracture site reached 100%. Medically, he made a complete recovery. Now he has to find his feel as a pitcher and get up to speed. From the 5th, he entered the bullpen pitching phase. He threw 30 balls in the 5th, 30 in the 7th, and 50 in the 7th. He sped up his recovery by doing his bullpen pitching every two days.

And now we begin live pitching, the step before actual pitching. Ahead of the game against the Lotte Giants to be held at Sajik Stadium in Busan on the 12th, Manager Kang In-kwon said, “Tomorrow (13th), we plan to throw a total of 30 pitches in 2 innings of 15 pitches in a live pitching format. “I think we can do live pitching tomorrow and look at various data such as condition and fastball speed and then make a schedule,” he said. “I think I will increase the intensity compared to bullpen pitching.” I think it’s important what intensity you pitch with. “I’ve been throwing at 70-80% intensity so far, so I think it’s a good idea to check if there’s any discomfort in the injured area,” he explained.

If there are no problems with the live pitching, it is expected to proceed directly to the second-team actual pitching stage. First of all, the plan for using Koo Chang-mo is the bullpen. He said, “However, I plan to do a little more bullpen pitching and if I can put him in the C team (2nd team), I plan to put him in the N team (1st team) when I can get 30 to 40 pitches as relief.” He added, “If I wait until I become a starting pitcher, time will pass. It seems like it would take too long. There will likely be difficulties with the national team’s schedule as well. So, we will start with a middle reliever, and the player himself had the will to start from the bullpen,” he explained, explaining Koo Chang-mo’s planned use in the future.

The timing of the announcement of the final roster of the Hangzhou Asian Games team has not yet been confirmed. Only the convening schedule has been set for the 23rd. This void must be filled as Lee Jeong-hoo (Kiwoom) is out for the season after undergoing ankle surgery. Additionally, the condition of Kang Baek-ho (KT) and Lee Ui-ri (KIA)’s shoulders and fingers must be checked one last time. However, the most important thing for the national team was Koo Chang-mo’s physical condition. When the national team roster was initially announced, it was predicted that the team would fully recover before the competition, but it became necessary to check their condition until just before the competition.

The return of Koo Chang-mo, who was considered the most important player in the challenge for four consecutive Asian Games gold medals. Coach Ryu Joong-il’s attention cannot help but be focused on Changwon.