"'If you're sick, you'll rest more, but'" Winning Lucky Foreigner takes a good rest on the weekend"DH will return to the match against Samsung on the 30th at the earliest"

Jul 28, 2024

The Doosan-LG match at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 20th. Austin is cheering with his teammates after hitting a two-run shot with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.7.20/

Austin Dean (31, LG Twins), a foreign hitter of the LG Twins who has been injured, prepares to return without canceling the first-team entry.

LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop talked about Austin's condition ahead of the home game against the Hwanhwa Eagles at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 28th.

Austin strongly collided with catcher Park Dong-won while running to catch a fly ball in the infield against the Lotte Giants in Busan on the 25th.

The game was later canceled due to rain, but Austin's name was not in the starting lineup that was revealed first.

Coach Yeom said ahead of the game on the 26th, `I think we'll have to watch it because we ran into Park Dong-won. Once you say you're okay, you can go out."

Austin, who was at the center of LG's overall championship with a batting average of 313 and 23 home runs last year, is batting .333, 21 home runs, 80 RBIs and 11 steals in 95 games this season, with an OPS (long-hitting rate + on-base percentage) of 0.922. Until just before the injury, he had a batting average of 359 and four homers in 10 games, but the injury forced him to rest.

Hospital examination result is knee contusion. He took two days off while avoiding major injury, but Austin was not listed in the starting lineup again on Friday.

Director Yeom said "I went to the hospital two days ago. First of all, I'm going to look at the condition by Tuesday and go out as a designated hitter. If you say it's not good, I'm going to make you rest more."

Meanwhile, newly acquired foreign pitcher Elijah Hernandez is scheduled to make his debut on one day of the three consecutive games against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on Aug. 6-9. Director Yeom said "I think it's okay. I think it would be good to control the ball and use the ball at the top of the strike zone well. He also expected that "he is not the type of throwing mainly on the upper body, but the type of throwing using the McConnick well with the whole body."

LG's starting lineup was formed in the order of Hong Chang-ki (right wing), Oh Ji-hwan (striker), Kim Hyun-soo (designated hitter), Moon Bo-kyung (first baseman), Park Dong-won (catcher), Park Hae-min (middle fielder), Shin Min-jae (second baseman), Koo Bon-hyuk (third baseman), and Ham Chang-gun (left wing). The starting pitcher is Choi Won-tae.

bellstop@sportschosun.com