LG Twins pitcher Choi Won-tae is struggling in the second half of the season. His ERA in the second half is a whopping 14.04.
It’s not so much that he’s suffering from the after-effects of an injury as it is that his physical condition is suffering. It’s also hard to say that he’s having trouble maintaining his feel for the game due to long intervals between appearances due to rainouts. He has reached the free agency deadline, but at this rate, he may have to consider applying for free agency.
Choi Won-tae left the starting lineup in early June with a side injury. At the time, LG was on the rise, but after Lim Chan-kyu, Choi Won-tae went down with a sudden injury, causing great difficulties in the starting rotation.
Choi Won-tae rehabbed for about a month and returned in the second half of the season. On July 12, he made his first start against Hanwha. He took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks in five innings.
Choi’s scheduled start was later pushed back due to a rainout. LG has had six rainouts in the last two weeks and has only played six games.
Choi Won-tae started against Lotte on April 25.
It was his first start in 13 days. Choi gave up a leadoff double to Hwang Sung-bin and a single to Yoon Dong-hee in the first inning. He got Na Seung-yeop to fly out, but gave up a hit to Reyes and a 144-kilometer fastball to Son Ho-young that grazed his helmet, forcing him to be ejected for a head shot. He was removed with the bases loaded, and the reliever allowed three runners to score, giving up four runs.
After throwing just 13 pitches and being ejected for a head shot, Choi Won-tae started again against Hanwha on April 28. 안전놀이터 He threw fewer pitches and adjusted his rotation due to his recent struggles.
Choi gave up a run in the first inning. He walked leadoff hitter Peraza and gave up a single to Kim In-hwan to put runners on first and third with no outs. Kim gave up a sacrifice fly to right field to lead off the inning. With two outs, Chae Eun-sung hit a two-run homer to center field.
The LG bats responded with a three-run homer by Park Dong-won in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 3-3, but Choi Won-tae gave up a solo shot to leadoff hitter Ha Joo-seok in the second.
In the fourth inning,
Choi gave up back-to-back doubles to Ahn Chi-hong and Ha Ju-seok, and then gave up a sixth run on Choi Jae-hoon’s infield single and Jang Jin-hyeok’s RBI single to right, leaving runners on first and second with nobody out. LG was unable to overcome Choi’s six runs and lost 6-9.
Choi went 6-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 12 games in the first half. Choi was the most consistent in the starting rotation as foreign pitchers Enns and Kelly had ups and downs in the first half.
However, since returning from injury, his last three games have been disastrous. Three runs in five innings, four runs in ⅓ of an inning, and six runs in three innings. In three games (8⅓ innings), he has two losses and a 14.04 ERA. He’s been hit hard in the first inning. In all three games, he gave up runs in the first inning, totaling 10 runs in the first inning alone. He is 3-for-2 in the first inning this season.
Won-tae Choi fulfilled the eight-season registration requirement to become a free agent in the first half of the season. Before the start of the season, he was considered one of the biggest names among prospective free agents, but his recent struggles have been disappointing. His season record is 6-5 with a 4.94 ERA in 15 games. He’ll need to show a different side in August.