NC Dinos native ace Gu Chang-mo (26) broke away from the front line once again.
Koo Chang-mo, who started against the LG Twins in Jamsil on the 2nd, threw only 5 balls and voluntarily gave up. The root of the problem was that he felt discomfort in his left arm after catching lead batter Hong Chang-ki with a fly in center field. As a result of the hospital examination, micro damage to the osseous muscle in his left forearm (the part between the elbow and wrist) was found, and he was excluded from the first team entry on the 3rd. NC coach Kang In-kwon expressed regret, saying, “I think I will have to do rehabilitation for about 3 weeks and adjust the schedule after that.”
The forearm is a sensitive area for Gu Chang-mo. He suffered from a stress fracture problem in his left forearm in 2020. In July 2021, while he was undergoing rehabilitation, he underwent a left ulnar microfracture plate fixation surgery (a surgery to fix the plate after transplanting a small amount of pelvic bone cells to the injured area) according to the hospital findings that “the hydraulic pressure of the bone is not perfect.” This is why the club couldn’t help but be more surprised by this pain. However, there is a saying inside that “the worst was avoided.” An official from the club said, “If the previous injury was bone, this time it was muscle,” and “the flexor muscle runs from the hand to the elbow, but fortunately it is pain in the opposite direction, not the elbow.” If the pain was on the side closer to the elbow, it could lead to a bigger injury, but that wasn’t the case, so I took a breath.
That’s not to say there aren’t any problems. Chang-mo Koo, who debuted in 2016, recorded 133 innings in 2018. Although he is a left-handed ace representing the league, he suffered from minor injuries every year and could not play the regular innings (144 innings). In an interview with this magazine last April, he blamed himself, saying, “It’s a shame that I’m not a young player and I’ve never filled the regular innings.” He digested 47 innings before the injury, and is 97 innings short of the regulation innings, but it is predicted that he will not be able to climb the first team mound for at least a month, making it unclear whether he will achieve the record. Depending on the rehabilitation treatment process, there is a good chance that the gap will be longer.
It was also difficult to select the final entry for the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG), which is scheduled to be announced soon. Even when the preliminary entry was announced at the end of April, it was likely to be on board, but the staff was twisted due to an injury. Since the tournament is in September, it may be possible to participate depending on the physical condition in the future, but it is burdensome to put an injured player in the final entry. If you do not receive military service benefits in this AG, it is virtually certain that you will join the Sangmu Baseball Team in December. Gu Chang-mo has already been listed on the list of successful candidates for Sangmu Baseball Team announced on the 1st.
His long-term contract was also affected. After the end of last season, Koo Chang-mo agreed to a multi-year contract with NC as a non-free agent (FA). If FA qualification was obtained after the end of the 2024 season, up to 12.5 billion won for 6 years (total annual salary of 9 billion won, incentives of 3.5 billion won), and if FA qualification was not obtained after the end of the 2024 season, 6 + 1 years, up to 13.2 billion won. Attention is drawn to the fact that a clause extending the contract period by the corresponding period is included when he enlists.메이저놀이터
Above all, the departure of the native ace put a considerable burden on the club. Director Kang In-kwon said, “It’s not long before the announcement of the AG entry, but the timing is unfortunate. Choi Seong-young will be in place for the time being in the place of Gu Chang-mo.”