SEOUL, – Unable to pitch in the upcoming South Korean baseball championship series due to injury, LG Twins right-hander Adam Plutko left the country Friday, his club said.
The Twins said Plutko decided to return to the United States “following discussions with the club,” after rehabbing his left hip injury over the past several weeks.
The Twins have earned a bye to the Korean Series after posting the best record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season. The best-of-seven series begins Nov. 7, but Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said on Oct. 5 that he would prepare for the Korean Series under the assumption that Plutko won’t be available.
“It’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do about this when he says he’s hurting,” Youm said at the time.
In 2023, his second season in the KBO, Plutko went 11-3 with a 2.41 ERA in 21 starts. But he last pitched on Aug. 26, after suffering a thigh injury. He was later diagnosed with a bruised left pelvis.
With no signs of Plutko’s return, Youm and the Twins staff ruled Plutko out of the picture more than a month before the start of the Korean Series. Plutko’s departure ended a stint that featured two strong regular seasons and one forgettable postseason run in 2022.
Plutko missed about three weeks toward the end of the 2022 regular season with back spasms. In his first game back in the postseason, Plutko was shelled for six runs — two unearned — on eight hits in only 1 2/3 innings against the Kiwoom Heroes in the second round action. The Twins bowed out of that series in four games.
In a video message posted on the Twins’ official YouTube channel, Plutko thanked the club, his teammates and fans for “an incredible run” over the past two years, and said he would root for the team.
“I tried to provide a championship mindset every single day that I showed up to the field, not just on the days that I pitched, but on the days in between,” he said. “We’re creating a dynasty, and I fully believe that. I couldn’t be more blessed to be just a small part of that. We’re going to keep going, and we’re going to win.”
Youm has said Casey Kelly will start the first game of the Korean Series, followed by two homegrown starters in Im Chan-kyu and Choi Won-tae.
Source: Yonhap News Agency