'Half of 3.8 billion is incentives...' Ham Deok-ju had another surgery in 10 months. Pinning in January, pin removal surgery in November. 6 Months Rehabilitation Required
Nov 16, 2024
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LG announced on the 16th that Ham Deok-joo will perform surgery to remove a fractured pin and a bone pole in his left elbow at Cheongdam Leone Orthopedic Clinic in Seoul on the 19th. The estimated recovery period is about six months. Therefore, Ham Deok-ju will not be able to return until June next season.
Ham Deok-ju, who came to LG in a trade in 2021, returned last year after not playing properly for two years due to injury and helped LG win the championship..
He pitched in 57 games and recorded four wins, no losses, four saves and 16 holds. He had a very good ERA of 1.62. He pitched 55 ⅔ innings, striking out 59 and giving up only 22 walks, showing very good pitching. When Ko Woo-seok was out due to injury, he also played as a temporary closer, giving the bullpen a sense of stability.
He has not returned to the regular season since suffering from elbow pain at the end of August, which has slowed his recovery more than expected. However, he pitched in a total of four games, including Games 1, 2, 3, and 5, in the Korean Series, and recorded one win and an ERA of 2.70. In the second game, he became the first Korean Series winning pitcher in his career as he came from behind to win with Park Dong-won's dramatic two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning after keeping the top of the eighth inning scoreless.
He applied for his first FA in his life after the season and signed a four-year contract with LG for a total of 3.8 billion won. While negotiating with LG, there were some identity checks from Major League Baseball, but Ham Deok-ju chose to stay at LG. After the wedding and honeymoon, he signed an FA contract for a total of 3.8 billion won (600 million won in down payment, 1.4 billion won in annual salary, 1.8 billion won in incentives) for four years on Christmas Eve on the 24th. Nearly half of the total amount is incentives, but Ham Deok-ju showed confidence.
However, due to a microfracture of the elbow in January, he underwent a pin-in surgery for a quick recovery. Initially, it was expected to be able to return in June or July, but the recovery was slow and returned in mid-August.
He pitched in a total of 15 games with a 5.40 ERA with one loss and three holds. His fastball speed did not rise as much as last year, so he did not pitch as expected.
LG said, `After the season, the elbow was examined at a total of four locations, including three local hospitals and one Japanese hospital, and we concluded that it is best to remove the pin from the elbow and cut off the upper bone of the elbow for a quick recovery.'
LG held a 'Love Giving Day' event at Jamsil Stadium on the 16th with 1,000 fans participating. New captain Park Hae-min and other players, including Jang Hyun-sik, who came to the FA, participated, but Ham Deok-ju was unable to attend due to preparations for surgery
indyk@sportschosun.com
