NC Dinos also succeeded in taking the lead by scoring first against the KT Wiz in the second game of the playoffs. It was a moment when the dignity of FA veteran Park Geon-woo, who returned to the second team last July for disciplinary reasons, shined.
NC Dinos, led by coach Kang In-kwon, will play the second game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Postseason Playoffs (PO, best of 5) against KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 31st.
NC succeeded in taking the lead with a 9-5 win over KT in the first round of the playoffs held at the same location the previous day (30th). In the past 32 playoffs, best of 5, the percentage of teams that won the first game advanced to the Korean Series was 78.1%. First of all, NC took the advantageous position.
In addition, with the victory the day before, NC succeeded in winning 8 consecutive postseason games since the 4th game of the Korean Series against the Doosan Bears held at Gocheok Sky Dome on November 21, 2020. After winning games 4, 5, and 6 of the Korean Series against Doosan in 2020, NC advanced to the semi-playoff stage by winning the first game of the wild card match against Doosan this year. They then successfully swept the series in the semi-playoffs against SSG Landers, and continued their upward trend by winning the game the previous day.
Now NC is attempting to tie the record for the most consecutive wins in the postseason. The previous record was set by Haitai Tigers (currently KIA Tigers) with 9 consecutive wins. At that time, Haitai won against the OB Bears (now Doosan Bears) in Game 4 of the playoffs held in Jeonju on October 11, 1987, and then won Game 3 of the Korean Series against Binggrae Eagles (now Hanwha Eagles) in Daejeon on October 22, 1988. and succeeded in winning 8 consecutive postseason games.
On this day, the NC team consisted of Son Ah-seop (designated hitter) - Park Min-woo (second baseman) - Park Geon-woo (right fielder) - Jason Martin (center fielder) - Kwon Hee-dong (left fielder) - Seo Ho-cheol (third baseman) - Oh Young-soo (first baseman) - Kim Hyeong-jun (catcher) - The starting lineup was formed in the order of Kim Joo-won (shortstop). It was the same starting lineup as in the first game. The starting pitcher was Shin Min-hyuk. Shin Min-hyuk recorded 5 wins, 5 losses, and an average ERA of 3.98 in this year's regular season. He also achieved 2 wins, 2 losses, and an average ERA of 3.70 in 5 games against KT.
Just like the previous day, NC scored points from the beginning of the first inning, overpowering KT. Successfully targeting KT starter Benjamin. Leadoff hitter Son Ah-seop attacked Benjamin on the third pitch with a ball count of 1-1 and retired with a ground ball to second base. However, Park Min-woo hit a fastball on the 7th pitch after a game that reached a full count, resulting in a heavy hit. The next batter is Park Geon-woo. Here, Park Geon-woo hit Benjamin's cutter (139 km) toward the center and fired a two-run gun that went over the left wall. It was Park Geon-woo’s first home run of the playoffs. The flying distance is 130m.
Park Geon-woo had no home runs in 8 at-bats against Benjamin in this year's regular season, but was strong with a batting average of 0.375 (3 hits in 8 at-bats), 1 double, 2 RBIs, and 4 runs. He recorded 3 strikeouts. And on this day, he proved his presence by hitting a home run. NC, which took a 2-0 lead with Park Geon-woo's two-run shot, added another point in the third inning to make it 3-0. Leadoff hitter Kim Joo-won had a golden opportunity to score by hitting a triple to right-center after a full count that went all the way to 7 pitches. Then, Kim Joo-won took advantage of Park Byeong-ho's missed grounder to first base by Son Ah-seop and scored.
Before the game, NC coach Kang In-kwon praised the veteran's fighting spirit, saying about Park Geon-woo's condition, "I'm not in 100% condition right now. I have some symptoms of cold. Still, because it's a big game, I'm taking it at my own risk and continuing to play." did.
In fact, Park Geon-woo had a difficult time this year. He was dropped to the second team last July when he was not injured or underperforming. At the time, Coach Kang In-kwon publicly explained to reporters the background to Park Gun-woo's move to the second division, saying, "I saw that Park Gun-woo acted out of the One Team." At the time, the team's ranking was in jeopardy, with only one win in 10 games, but coach Kang In-kwon made this decision to send a message to the players.
In addition, NC recorded a home run in all of this year's postseason games (6 games) thanks to Park Geon-woo's home run. Coach Kang In-kwon said about this, "I didn't expect that our batting lineup would perform so well with even distribution. It seems like the players have that much desire to win. As their concentration has increased a little, the results seem to be improving. “He explained.
Also, Coach Kang In-kwon was asked, "I am on a 5-game winning streak in the postseason since taking office as coach. What is the most difficult?" He answered, "Poker face is the most difficult. It is difficult to keep a straight face. It is difficult because the players and many people are looking at my face." Replacing a pitcher is even more difficult. You can look at the record or condition to determine the timing of a pinch hitter, but the timing of a pitcher replacement is unpredictable. You can prepare, but the result cannot be predicted, so it is the most difficult. (It goes differently from the season) The postseason is the most difficult. “Because the game is not continuous, I think it is right to replace players quickly. The team that is sure to win is a little more fatigued, but they are still choosing to replace players more quickly,” he said.
Meanwhile, NC is ahead 3-0 as of the bottom of the 5th inning.