KBO pitcher-Olympics
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| ▲ In this file photo from May 23, 2021, Andrew Suarez of the LG Twins pitches against the SSG Landers in the bottom of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ In this file photo from May 12, 2021, Andrew Suarez of the LG Twins pitches against the Kia Tigers in the bottom of the first inning of a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ In this file photo from June 11, 2021, Andrew Suarez of the LG Twins pitches against the Doosan Bears during a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
KBO pitcher-Olympics
KBO club declines to release American pitcher for Tokyo Olympics
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean baseball club LG Twins have rejected a request to make their American starter Andrew Suarez available for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, Yonhap New Agency learned on Tuesday.
Cha Myeong-seok, general manager of the Twins, said Tuesday he was recently contacted by Suarez's agent about the pitcher's availability for the July 23-Aug. 8 Olympics. The United States will face South Korea in Group B, which will have the second-highest, third-highest and lowest-ranked teams based on the world rankings.
Cha's response, in sum, was a no, because of the quarantine rules in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I said we couldn't let Suarez play in the Olympics because of the two-week quarantine that he has to go through when he returns," Cha said.
South Korean Olympic athletes, including baseball players, have all been fully vaccinated and will thus be exempt from the quarantine when they come home. Suarez hasn't received his vaccine.
Suarez, 28, has been one of the top starters in the Korea Baseball Organization in his first season here. He is 7-2 through 13 starts with a 2.42 ERA, with 77 strikeouts and 29 walks in 74 1/3 innings.
He's tied for fourth in wins, with three players tied for the lead at eight wins apiece. Suarez is third in ERA and tied for seventh in strikeouts. His 1.21 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) puts him in seventh place, too. Opponents are hitting .222 against Suarez, the fifth lowest in the KBO.
The Twins are in first place heading into Tuesday's action at 38-26, 1.5 games better than the KT Wiz. They could ill afford to lose Suarez for any stretch of time, as they chase their first Korean Series championship since 1994.
The KBO will go on an Olympic break from July 19 to Aug. 9.
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