The Samsung Lions’ foreign pitcher David Buchanan is in trouble. He’s had three unexpected injuries in one month. Samsung manager Park Jin-man said, 메이저사이트“We can’t schedule Buchanan’s pitching schedule due to (sudden injuries).”
Buchanan was scheduled to start against the KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 29th. But Buchanan didn’t take the mound. It wasn’t a rainout. Before the Samsung team even arrived at the stadium, the starting pitcher had already been changed to Choi Chae-heung. It was because Buchanan had complained of a sore back the previous weekend and was struggling to pitch.
A surprise injury for Buchanan. But it’s not the first time. Buchanan was scheduled to start against the KT Wiz in Daegu on July 21, but was replaced by Jang Pil-joon that morning due to knee gout. On August 4, he pitched seven innings of three-run ball against the LG Twins in Daegu, but suffered a hand cramp in the seventh inning, raising concerns. On Aug. 16 against the Daegu LG, he was replaced early after two innings due to a sore neck muscle.
Samsung’s Buchanan. Courtesy of Samsung
Could it be that he’s been pitching too hard lately? On August 11, Buchanan threw a whopping 127 pitches against the Incheon SSG Landers. Just four days later, he threw on four days’ rest against LG in Daegu and was pulled early due to muscle soreness. After throwing 116 pitches against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on the 22nd, he also had to cancel his appearance due to muscle pain. After throwing more than 110 pitches, abnormal signals appeared in succession, raising concerns.
It was a combination of team circumstances and Buchanan’s own personality. The Samsung Mound has a rather thin bullpen and often relies on long innings from its starters. This naturally leads to more innings and pitches for the starters. In recent years, they’ve gone to a four-day rest rotation with no alternate starter. It’s a grueling schedule. Add to that Buchanan’s desire to get as many innings as possible, and you have a recipe for a push.
But now it’s getting complicated. Buchanan has become a “constant” by pitching his best every time he appears. This year, he’s been an ace, with an 8-6 record in 23 games, a 2.91 ERA, and 15 quality starts (6+ innings, 3 earned runs or less). Recently, however, a series of injuries have thrown a wrench into his game, turning a constant into a variable. He has been in trouble due to early bullpen insertions and substitute starts.
Buchanan leads the team to victory with the LG Quality Start+ in Daegu on April 4. Courtesy of Samsung
Buchanan pitches again after complaining of hand cramps in the seventh inning. Courtesy of Samsung
“There are times when Buchanan is sick today and then says he’ll be fine tomorrow, so it’s difficult to schedule his starts,” Park said. However, due to the ongoing injury, he said he will not push for a start. “I think Buchanan will be able to pitch on the weekend (against the Changwon NC Dinos),” Park said, “but this time, we’ll see how he feels. I will keep checking with the training part to make sure.”