SSG Landers manager Lee Sung-yong announced Saturday that ace pitcher Drew Anderson is recovering well from a recent bout of stomach flu and is nearly ready to return to the mound.
Lee stated that Anderson would be available to pitch on Sunday if the scheduled Game 2 of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason series against the Samsung Lions were postponed by rain.
Anderson, who ranked second in the KBO with 245 strikeouts and third with a 2.25 ERA this season, was unable to start the opening game of the best-of-five series on Thursday due to his illness.
“He had a pretty good bullpen session yesterday, and I’ve been told he’s in good form now,” Lee said during a media availability at Incheon SSG Landers Field. “He has lost about 3 kilograms because he hasn’t been eating well.”
Inclement weather has already disrupted the KBO postseason, pushing Game 2 from Friday to Saturday under threatening skies. If the game proceeds as scheduled, Anderson is slated to start Game 3 on Monday in Daegu.
The Landers, despite being the higher-seeded team, lost the series opener 5-2. Mitch White, starting in place of Anderson, lasted only two innings, giving up six hits, a home run, and three walks.
Despite the loss, Lee remained confident in his team. “During the regular season, we always handled adversity really well,” he said. “I am confident our players will bounce back today.”
Meanwhile, after securing a road victory, Lions manager Park Jin-man said he would not hesitate to deploy his bullpen to clinch a second win.
“Since this is a short series, we will have all of our relievers ready at the first sign of trouble from our starter,” Park stated, adding that the extra day of rest has left his bullpen well-prepared.
Park was unconcerned by the uncertainty surrounding Anderson’s status, dismissing any potential mind games. “We figured we would have to face him at some point in this series,” he said. “We got off to a good start here, and we just have to focus on doing our own thing.”
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