The rise of NC Dinos is unusual. By breaking down the ‘three-strong system’ that lasted throughout the season, the lead was already in sight.
Ahead of the opening, NC was classified as ‘lower rank’ by many experts. After the end of last season, Yang Eui-ji and Noh Jin-hyuk, who were the core resources of the team, transferred to Doosan Bears and Lotte Giants respectively through free agency (FA), and even long-lived foreign pitcher Drew Luchinski (Oakland Athletics), who has been active since the 2019 season, is an American professional baseball player. It was because he left to challenge the Major League (MLB).
However, as if ridiculing these expectations, NC is showing smooth progress. He also climbed to the top of the table at the beginning of the season, and survived a fierce mid-table battle in May.
Not stopping here, NC rose to third place as of the 12th. It was the result of a good record of 5 wins and 1 loss against Samsung Lions and SSG Landers over the past week, and during the same period, SSG, LG Twins and Lotte, which had been building a top-three system, collapsed with 1 win and 5 losses. It is 2 games behind the 2nd place LG, and the gap with the leader SSG is only 3.5 games.
There is a high mound behind such NC’s propaganda background. Currently, NC’s team ERA is 3.19, ranking first among 10 clubs. It’s not just the indicators that are good. In particular, the ‘deep player base’ stands out in that even if a player leaves due to sluggishness or injury, the player who comes up instead completely fills the spot.
First, looking at the starting lineup, the only pitcher who has been in the rotation since the start of the season is Eric Peddy (10-1, 1.74 ERA), the best foreign ace in the league. However, right-hander Young-gun Lee Yong-jun (3-2, 2.60 ERA) completely filled the void caused by Taylor Widener’s injury, and Lee Jae-hak (2-1, 0.72 ERA), who joined Song Myung-ki and Shin Min-hyeok as they slumped, completely filled the void left by Taylor Widener’s injury. ‘s heyday’ is opening.
In addition, on the 3rd, local left-handed ace Chang-mo Koo was out due to micro damage to the left forearm flexor, but Seong-young Choi (4 wins, 1.66 ERA), who went back and forth between the bullpen and starters, is doing her part.
The same goes for the bullpen. Closer Lee Yong-chan left due to the recent ‘World Baseball Classic (WBC) drinking scandal’, but Kim Si-hoon recorded 1 win, 2 saves and an average ERA of 0.00 in 4 games he started in June and locked the back door. Lim Jeong-ho (4-hold ERA 1.80) and Kim Young-gyu (9-hold ERA 3.20), who were the main axis resources, added Ryu Jin-wook (3-hold ERA 0.96) and Cho Min-seok (2-hold ERA 1.93), and Kim Jin-ho suffered a shoulder injury. Although missing, Lee Yong-chan is about to return.
This seems to be because the atmosphere of ‘goodwill competition’ was formed in NC’s overwhelming mound depth. NC pitching coach Kim Soo-kyung, who met with the reporter at the end of May, said, “I tell (the players) to be greedy even one more step in order not to get injured. I usually say that to young players in their 1st or 2nd year. It’s an opportunity when those players come to the first team. They say that in order to seize that chance, you have to be greedy in that direction. We are creating that kind of atmosphere.”토토사이트
Of course, the ball on the other line cannot be left out. Two veteran hitters, Son Ah-seop (batting average 0.320, 33 runs batted in) and Park Kun-woo (batting average 0.279, 4 home runs, 28 runs batted in), hold the center, and even Jason Martin, a foreign hitter who has fallen into a slump recently, is wielding a fire bat. Martin, who had a batting average of 0.239 in May, is performing well as NC’s fourth hitter with a batting average of 0.361, 1 home run and 7 RBIs in June.
The dinosaur corps is on the rise with such a deep pitching team and the performance of the other line. NC, which has prepared a stepping stone to climb higher, will face Doosan and KIA Tigers in turn this week. If they perform well in the game against them, they can leap to the upper ranks by beating the mid-ranking teams.