The LG Twins hit bad news with injuries. Following starting infielder Oh Ji-hwan, foreign hitter Austin Dean also raised concerns as it became difficult for him to play regularly due to heel pain. 

Coach Yeom Gyeong-yeop met with reporters ahead of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League game against the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 8th and said, “Austin felt pain in the heel of his right foot while sliding to second base. He said (except for the starter) that he would look at the situation and put in a substitute in the second half.” 메이저놀이터

Austin, who started as a 4th hitter and first baseman in the game against Samsung in Jamsil on the 7th, got on base with a hit by the lead batter at the end of the 5th inning and was injured in the process of entering second base during Park Dong-won’s double hit. Austin was replaced before the defense in the top of the 7th inning. 

Austin appeared in six games this season and was making a big success with a batting average of 0.364 (8 hits in 22 at-bats), 11 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.940. It seemed to cut off the cruelty of foreign batters who had been chasing LG. However, an unexpected heel pain temporarily put a brake on his ascent. 

Prior to Austin, LG faced bad news when key infielder Oh Ji-hwan left due to injury. Oh Ji-hwan also had to leave due to side pain during batting practice ahead of the Samsung game on the 7th. As a result of the hospital examination, he was diagnosed with an oblique muscle injury and would have to rest for more than two weeks. Director Yeom said, “Oh Ji-hwan will have to watch his condition for about three weeks.”