There was a reason for the sudden struggles.
Kirk McCarty, who has been SSG’s No. 1 starter this season, 안전놀이터 struggled against Hanwha in Daejeon on May 5, giving up six runs on seven hits (one home run) in three innings with four walks and five strikeouts. SSG escaped with an 11-6 come-from-behind victory, but it could have been a painful outing for SSG, which has lost four straight games.
It was not the usual McCarty, as he gave up the most runs in his first start of the season on April 2 against the Munhak KIA (8 runs in 3⅓ innings). It was also the first time he gave up four walks in a game. In the first inning or two, he was shaky with the timing of opposing hitters’ calls, but there was another reason for his struggles.
SSG manager Kim Won-hyung met with reporters before the game against Hanwha on June 6 and said, “McCarty said he had a blister on his finger after the game. Last time, he also took 10 days off due to blisters.” McCarty also missed one rotation in May due to a blister on his left middle finger.
Normally, McCarty would have pitched on Tuesday against Suwon KT, but the blister is a variable. “He said it’s better than yesterday, but we have to see how it is. I think we’ll know tomorrow or the day after. As it is, it will affect the next game.”
It’s a big blow for SSG if McCarty is forced to skip the rotation, as they’ll be facing KT, who are one game behind them in the standings. With the importance of every single game in the second half of the season, SSG can only hope that McCarty’s blister heals quickly.
Despite McCarty’s early departure after three innings, SSG rallied from a 1-6 deficit as the bullpen combined for six scoreless innings. Rookies Song Young-jin (1 inning) and Lee I-roon (2 innings) were the main reasons for the scoreless fourth through sixth innings. “Two 19-year-olds pitched three good innings,” Kim said.