"Autumn" that ended in a catastrophe
LG Twins foreign pitcher Adam Plutko (32) returned to the U.S. on the 27th. The club said, "I have been focusing on rehabilitation (treatment), but after consultation with the club, I decided that it was difficult to take the mound in the Korean Series (KS, four wins out of seven)." LG, which won the regular season title for the first time in 29 years since 1994, will play KS without any foreign pitchers. It is a considerable burden in KS, which is held as a short-term battle.
It is a "conclusion" that is expected to some extent. Flutko was excluded from the first team at the end of August due to a left pelvic bruise. It was originally expected to take a four-week hiatus, but it has become much longer. Eventually, the return in September and October also failed. The club that decided it could be thrown and the player's position to make it safe ran parallel. At the end of September, LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "I have to come back in early October. He sent a warning message, saying, "Otherwise, I will not use it in the postseason (PS)," but there was no news of any sensitivity. Flutko, who failed to return to the regular season, was separated from the first-tier team and did not attend the regular-season championship event. It was a harbinger of catastrophe.
Flutko recorded 15 wins, 5 losses and a 2.39 ERA in 28 regular-season games last year, his first season in the KBO League. He was a pillar of LG's starting lineup along with his teammate Casey Kelly, who won multiple wins. However, he started Game 2 of the playoffs (PO) against the Kiwoom Heroes and became a losing pitcher with 8 hits and 6 runs (four earned runs) in 1 2/3 innings. The ERA is 21.60. LG, which won Game 1 of the PO, lost Game 2-4 and was eliminated from the series. Flutco, who renewed his contract after twists and turns, once again cruised through the regular season.
In June, he was named the sixth pitcher in the history of the KBO League to achieve "10 wins and no losses." It is the third foreign pitcher ever after Hector (then KIA Tigers) in 2017 and Frankoff (then Doosan Bears) in 2018. However, his last appearance was against Changwon NC Dinos on August 26. The sudden injury twisted the steps. As a result, he left LG without taking the mound in autumn baseball. He played 17 games (11 wins and 1 loss) in the first half of the season, but played only four games (two losses) in the second half of the fourth game (two losses) in the second half.
Flutko's combined performance in two seasons is 26-8 with a 2.40 ERA. His performance was impressive enough to be tied for the lead in the league's multiple wins during this period. But PS is a nightmare itself. Following the poor PO last year, he did not take the mound this season and left the team with his bags packed.