NC defeated foreign ace in 24-year-old Young Gun, now faces ‘national lefty ace’ Kim Kwang-hyun in 23-year-old Young Gun.
The NC Dinos look to make it two wins in a row in the semifinals with Song Myung-ki (23).
NC won 4-3 against SSG Landers in the first round of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League postseason semifinals at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on April 22.
NC is led by foreign ace Eric Peddie, who achieved the triple crown (wins, ERA, and strikeouts) this season. Pedi had a dominant season, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 30 games (180⅓ innings) this season. He is arguably the best ace in the KBO.
However, Pedi suffered a bruised right forearm after being hit by a pitch against the KIA on April 10. He didn’t even make the roster for the Wild Card Decision Game, and while he did make the roster for the semifinals, he was not named as a starter in both Game 1 and Game 2.
Without Pedi, NC had to rely on Shin Min-hyuk, who had never pitched in fall baseball, to take the mound in Game 1. However, in his postseason debut, Shin pitched 5⅔ innings of four-hit ball with one walk and three strikeouts, giving SSG foreign pitcher Roenis Elias (8 innings, two runs) a run for his money.
Shin Min-hyuk held the SSG bats scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning, and the NC bats were able to hold Elias scoreless until the top of the seventh inning, allowing NC to keep SSG in the game. The hard work of the NC pitchers finally paid off in the eighth inning when Kim Sung-wook hit a pinch-hit, game-winning home run.
NC announced that Song Myung-ki, not Pedi, will start the second game. Manager Kang Myung-ho said, “The starting pitcher tomorrow will be Song Myung-ki. Pedi threw 19 pitches in the bullpen today. He’s at about 90 percent. I think it will be difficult for him to pitch tomorrow because he has anxiety. We’ll see how he recovers and make a decision,” he said, explaining the decision to announce Song as the starter.
Song has a 4-9 record with a 4.83 ERA in 35 games (104⅓ innings) this season. Against SSG, he was 1-4 with a 2.38 ERA in 11⅓ innings, but he pitched well. His September-October performance was also consistent, 먹튀검증토토사이트 with a 1-2 record and a 3.18 ERA in nine games (22⅔ innings).
SSG has announced Kwang-hyun Kim as their starting pitcher. Kim is arguably one of the best left-handed aces in South Korea. This season, he has a 9-8 record with a 3.53 ERA in 30 games (168⅓ innings). Against the NCs, he went 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA in three games (16⅓ innings), and his September-October performance was good, going 2-2 with a 2.62 ERA in eight games (44⅔ innings).
After starting Shin Min-hyuk, who is making his fall baseball debut, to catch Elias’ SSG, NC will be hoping that Song Myung-gi can pull off another upset over Kim Kwang-hyun. Song also has fond memories of the 2020 Korean Series, where he went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two games (6 innings) to lead the franchise to its first championship.
With momentum from their wild-card victory and semifinal Game 1 win, can NC sweep Kim Kwang-hyun and make a run for the playoffs? A lot will rest on the shoulders of Song, who will start Game 2.