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A Doosan official who met recently at Jamsil Stadium said, "Lee Byung-hun had a bone fragment on his ankle, so he tried to get surgery quickly, but he couldn't." What kind of story is it.

Lee Byung-hun, who was called a left-hander at Seoul High School, received the first Doosan nomination in the 2022 Rookie Draft. He underwent surgery for a bone fragment in his elbow in July, followed by surgery for the medial collateral ligament in August, but achieved his professional dream with the highest ranking, recognizing his fastball of up to 151 kilometers and growth potential.

After a long rehabilitation, Lee Byung-hun came to the first division stage on September 3, 2022, and tasted a professional experience with a 3.60 ERA in nine games. And the following year, at the Australian spring camp, director Lee Seung-yeop said, "I feel like Koo Dae-sung when I was an active player. "He is the type of pitcher who doesn't want to face the batter because of the reception," he praised, raising expectations for the second season. Hisanori Takahashi, who coached Doosan pitchers in Australia for two weeks, also praised Lee's potential.

Lee Byung-hun started his second season strong, but played 27 innings in 36 games and had a 5-hold ERA of 4.67. Due to frequent ups and downs, they were mainly organized in the chasing group and the losing group rather than the winning group, and they had to travel between Jamsil and Icheon frequently to reduce their ups and downs. The number of days registered in the first group (105 days) and the number of days canceled (95 days) were virtually the same.

Lee Byung-hun was the only Doosan member to join the national team of the 30th Asian Baseball Championship led by head coach Chung In-myung on the 13th of last month. Fortunately, it was found that he did not have to undergo ankle surgery where bone fragments were found immediately, and Lee Byung-hun decided to go to Taiwan to gain experience on the international stage. The national team will retake the top spot for the first time in eight years since 2015 in Taipei and Taichung, Taiwan, from December 3 to 10.

A Doosan official said, "We tried to get the surgery done quickly because a bone fragment was found on Lee Byung-hun's ankle, but we delayed the operation because we had to go to Taiwan. He decided to go to Taiwan without surgery this year to gain experience and work hard until next season. We have no choice but to lean on Lee Byung-hun due to the team's situation," he said.

The "team situation" mentioned by the above official is Doosan's left-hand famine. The starters, such as foreign pitcher Brandon Waddell, Choi Seung-yong, who went to APBC (Asian Professional Baseball Championship), and Lee Won-jae, who joined the second round last year, are not worried, but the reality is that the bullpen does not have a left-handed pitcher to clearly catch the left-handed hitter who appeared in the match. Except for swingman Choi Seung-yong this season, it was no exaggeration to say that he actually ran the must-win group without a left-hander.

Of course, some teams run bullpen without left-handed pitchers like KT, which advanced to this year's Korean Series, but manager Lee Seung-yeop said, "It was also difficult when I, a left-handed hitter, had a tricky left-handed pitcher in the clutch situation when I was an active player." "We need a left-handed pitcher who can block strong left-handed hitters that come out when there are runners," he said.

Lee selected three left-hander bullpen candidates through the Icheon closing camp. Like last year, Lee Byung-hun and Kim Ho-joon were on the list, and Baek Seung-woo, who was selected 69th in the 7th round of Doosan's rookie draft in 2023, was newly included, with a 0 ERA in six games in his first year.

In the meantime, head coach Lee said, "(Lee Byung-hun) had a head shot this year, and he also hit a three-run homer against Choi Hyung-woo in Jamsil. The first and second teams also frequently went back and forth. There will be more memories of failure, he said. "Baseball players can feel more when they are bad. I hope Lee Byung-hun will become our main player next year. I look forward to it," he said, putting Lee Byung-hun at the forefront of the competition.

Doosan has already established a project to find a left-hand bullpen through internal development. As part of the plan, he has recruited two more left-handers this year, including Park Ji-ho (Jang An-go-Donggang University) and Kim Moo-bin (Shin Il-go), following Baek Seung-woo last year, and is also looking forward to the second third round, Lee Kyo-hoon, who is about to be discharged from the military in 2019. If left-handed prospects, led by Lee Byung-hun, grow quickly, they can add diversity to the bullpen.

A Doosan official said, "Our left-hander seems weak, and we have consistently selected left-handers in the recent rookie draft, and Lee Kyo-hoon will also be discharged from the military." "If you take steps to foster it, you will have good power," he predicted.