South Korean pitcher Gwak Been has been sidelined with upper back spasms and is trying to be ready for the next phase of the Asian Games baseball tournament in China, team officials said Tuesday.
Gwak, a hard-throwing right-hander for the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), had been considered a likely starter for a key preliminary game against Chinese Taipei on Tuesday. Hanwha Eagles right-hander Moon Dong-ju got the nod instead, and Moon gave up two runs on three hits in four innings in a 4-0 loss.
It led to speculation that something was wrong with Gwak, who is 11-7 with a 2.97 ERA this season for the Bears, and national team officials revealed that Gwak had been dealing with back issues since Sunday.
“He will not be available against Thailand later Tuesday,” one team official said. “He will concentrate on rehab so that he will be ready for the Super Round.”
After the round-robin play in the current round, the top two teams from each of the two groups will advance to the Super Round, which starts Thursday. Despite its loss to Chinese Taipei, South Korea can still finish in second place in Group B if it can handle the underdog Thailand.
Japan and China will most likely advance to the Super Round out of Group A.
In the Super Round, teams will each play opponents from the other group, but results between the teams that advance will be carried over. This means South Korea will take a built-in loss into the Super Round.
The top two teams at the end of the Super Round will meet in the gold medal game. South Korea has won the past three Asiad baseball titles.
Source: Yonhap News Agency