Ace pitcher Kannon returns after 22-day absence due to shoulder soreness

Tai-shan Eagles ace pitcher Kannon made a rare return to the active roster on Saturday, 22 days after his last appearance. The pitcher disclosed that shoulder soreness, which began after his May 29th start against the Rakuten Monkeys, was the reason for his extended absence.

“

I had shoulder soreness, so I was out of the lineup for so long.

Kannon had delivered a strong performance on May 29th, pitching six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and extending his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 23. At the time, manager Hung Yi-chung explained Kannon's demotion to the minor league roster as a necessary rotation adjustment for the team's three foreign pitchers. However, Kannon revealed the true reason was the shoulder discomfort, requiring him to undergo checks.

He mentioned that his return was initially scheduled for Tuesday the 15th but was postponed due to rain delays. Kannon expressed his dislike for extended breaks from pitching, fearing a loss of game rhythm and physical conditioning. He stated that under normal circumstances, he would have been ready to pitch the eighth inning the previous day but needed to be cautious after three weeks without competition.

“

Everything is fine, the team just wanted me to get it checked. I was supposed to return on Tuesday (the 15th), but it was postponed due to rain.

Kannon's performance on Saturday was stellar, pitching seven scoreless innings and extending his consecutive scoreless innings streak in starts to 30. This puts him in contention to challenge the league record of 34.1 consecutive scoreless innings set by the legendary "Wind God" Chin-Feng Chen of the Brother Elephants in 2000, and the overall league record of 45 innings set by Cesar in 2004.

“

Actually, no pitcher wants to go that long without pitching, as they might lose their rhythm or stamina. If it were a normal rotation, I would have definitely gone out to pitch the eighth inning yesterday, but I haven't pitched in three weeks and need to be careful.