Things happened at Changwon NC Park due to the body ball for two consecutive days. The biggest victim rather encouraged the fans.
The 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League regular season showdown between the Lotte Giants and the NC Dinos at Changwon NC Park on the 26th and 27th was won by NC on the first day and Lotte on the next day with a score of 9-2, respectively.
People were talking about “body balls” rather than the result of the game. NC Dinosaurs recorded four balls that fit their bodies in the game on Wednesday last week, and came out three times only in the third batting order. Notably, Park Geon-woo (34), who was listed as the starting pitcher, is forced to sit out for a long time.
From the first at-bat in the bottom of the first inning, Park was hit in the side by Lotte starter Park Se-woong’s fastball of 146 kilometers per hour on the third pitch. Having complained of pain, Park got up again and headed to the first base. However, in the bottom of the third inning, Park was hit in the right wrist by a fastball on the seventh pitch. Unlike previous at-bats, Park was in pain lying on the ground. Even Lotte manager Kim Tae-hyung, who was a teammate of the Doosan Bears, rushed forward, expressing concern.
In the end, Park Kun-woo was replaced by runner Kim Sung-wook and then boarded an ambulance and left the stadium. After receiving the first screening at a local hospital and conducting another imaging session in Seoul, Park was diagnosed with a fracture in his right wrist. Although the condition will be finally confirmed on the 29th, it is not easy to overturn the result as long as the fracture is taken in a picture even before the doctor’s opinion is released. 토토사이트
Fractures depend on the area, but usually require a recovery period of more than six to eight weeks. This season, due to issues such as international competitions, the season may be out depending on the rehabilitation period, as the season starts early and ends early.
Park Kun-woo’s injury is fatal for NC. He played in 89 games this season and had a batting average of 0.344 (111 hits in 323 times at bat), 13 homers, 53 RBIs and 58 runs and four steals, and a on-base percentage of 0.409 with a slugging percentage of 0.542 and an OPS of 0.951. At the time of his injury, he was ranked fifth in the batting average, 10th in the most hits, 7th in on-base plus slugging percentage, and 4th in the OPS.
Even after Park Gun-woo’s absence, NC’s Kim Joo-won and Kim Sung-wook were hit by pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning. The atmosphere could have gone strangely, but it did not lead to conflict because it was a 2-2 tie at the time.
However, after Park Kun-woo was excluded from the first-team entry, a war of nerves finally broke out in the game on the 27th. In the bottom of the sixth inning when Lotte was leading 4-0, Lotte starter Charlie Barnes, who faced No. 9 Park Min-woo, threw a fastball toward his body with a ball count of 0-2, which headed toward Park’s head. Although Park hurriedly avoided the ball, the next ball flew a similar course.
In response, Park stared at Barnes and expressed discontent. Barnes also responded by raising his arms. Afterwards, Barnes was seen saying something even after striking out Park. It did not lead to bench clearing, but the atmosphere in the stadium quickly changed.
NC’s fans, who were hit by the body ball for two days, were shown denouncing the situation on social media after the game. With the ranking battle in full swing, the center hitter was forced to leave for a long time, and he expressed his anger.
In response, Park posted a comment on the match result post on NC’s official SNS. He encouraged disappointed fans with his comment, “Let’s trust and cheer for him. We can do it.” In response, fans cheered for him with comments such as “Please come back” and “Don’t get sick and come back soon.”