Struggling South Korean baseball club Samsung Lions released their American starter Collin Balester on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old became the first foreign player to be ousted from the Korea Baseball Organization in 2016, after going 0-3 with a 8.03 ERA in three starts in his first season here. The right-hander gave up 20 hits and 12 walks in just 12 1/3 innings while striking out only five.

He came down with a right elbow strain last month and had been rehabbing with the Lions' minor league club.

Foreign starting pitchers are typically expected to headline their teams' rotations, but both of the Lions' American starters, Balester and Allen Webster, have been hit hard. Webster is 2-3 with a 6.36 ERA in eight appearances.

Their poor performances are the major reason why the Lions, a franchise with a long tradition of strong pitching, have the second-worst ERA in the KBO at 5.66. The five-time reigning pennant winners are ninth in the 10-team league with a 17-19 record. (Yonhap)