The ‘four-day rest rotation’ proved to be a poison. Samsung Lions foreign pitcher David Buchanan was forced to leave the game early and didn’t finish. For the team, it was more painful than the loss.
Samsung lost 3-6 in the 14th game of the season against the LG Twins of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea on Saturday. Their season record is 42 wins, 1 draw, and 59 losses.안전놀이터
The game was highlighted by the starting matchup between Lee and Buchanan, two pitchers who have been on a roll lately. The two pitchers traded runs in the second inning, but settled down to prevent further damage.
It was in the top of the third inning that things went awry. Buchanan, who had complained of some discomfort after pitching in the top of the second inning, felt unwell while throwing practice pitches earlier in the inning, and the Samsung bench decided to change pitchers. Right-hander Lee Seung-hyun, who was called up on short notice, took the mound.
Fortunately, the injury wasn’t serious enough to warrant a roster spot. A Samsung team official explained that Buchanan was pulled after feeling some neck pain. But it was a heartbreaking moment for Samsung.
Buchanan had just pitched six innings against the Incheon SSG Landers on April 11, throwing a whopping 127 pitches. It was his highest pitch count in a single game since his KBO debut. Add to that the fact that he was pitching on four days’ rest, and the pressure was on.
The “four-day rest rotation” was not a sudden decision. Samsung manager Park Jin-man explained before the LG game on the 16th, “It was originally planned beforehand, but on that day (against SSG on the 11th), the pitch count was a bit high, so we were thinking about changing the pitcher.” “He showed that he wanted to finish the game by the sixth inning, so the pitch count was high, but there were some problems,” he said.
Now in his fourth season in the KBO, Buchanan is not only passionate about his team, but also about Korea. In the latter half of the season, he even wore a glove with the Korean flag on it. Of course, he wants to dedicate himself to the team.
However, even for an ace, throwing 127 pitches and taking four days off was a big ‘adventure’. In the end, the game plan went awry and the bullpen was activated early on, and Samsung was unable to protect the one-run lead until the end.