Triple Crown and home run king challenger are one team, and even autumn baseball seems to be difficult. The NC Dinos were pushed to the bottom of the list as they suffered two long losses, including their first 10 consecutive losses. Now they are closer to the bottom. The prospects they trusted are slow to grow, and other positions are not ready to threaten or replace the starting lineup.
The NC Dinos lost to the Samsung Lions 3-5 at a game held at Changwon NC Park on Wednesday, falling to a 10-game losing streak. Starter Lee Jae-hak was holding out by allowing three runs in five innings, but the lineup remained scoreless through the seventh inning, continuing to be dragged away. He recovered one run in the bottom of the eighth inning but lost two more runs in the top of the ninth inning, giving up the win. Starting with Park Se-hyuk’s double in the bottom of the ninth inning, he had four hits to recover two runs, but three of the four hits came after two outs.
The 10-game losing streak is the longest since its foundation, which surpassed nine consecutive losses in 2013 and 2018. 2013 was the first time NC joined the first team, and 2018 was the first season when it remained at the bottom of the team for the first time since its foundation, changing its coach. This year, NC fell into a more serious slump than ever when it was called the “Ninth Heart.” It had already lost eight consecutive games in May, falling from a tie for second place to a tie for fifth place, but with this 10 consecutive losses, it is in a position to worry about the bottom of the challenger who was aiming to advance to the fifth round.
While the emergence of players with injuries continues indefinitely, the contribution of the club and the coaching staff, who failed to prepare depth to fill the vacancy of the players, cannot be ignored. The growth of promising players was slow, and there was no backup that could threaten the starting lineup. However, he is only continuing his potential that he only showed in the spring camp with his performance during the regular season.
Kim Hyung-joon and Kim Joo-won, who received special military service exemption as a gold medal at the Asian Games, are key prospects of the team, but they still performed below expectations. Kim had a batting average of .300 through April, but his monthly batting average has never exceeded .200 since May. Kim had so many opportunities that coach Kang In-kwon said, “A player who competes may feel unreasonable,” but he failed to grow that much. He had a batting average of .295 in 13 games in August, but his batting average for this season is only 0.213.
On the pitchers’ side, the gap between first-team players and non-team players is so wide that there is a serious gap. Kim Jae-yeol (2.09 ERA), who moved to the second draft and has grown into a top-rated setup man, Kim Young-kyu (3.15 ERA), who remains in the bullpen instead of changing into a starting pitcher, and Han Jae-seung (3.79), who emerged as a must-winner in the chasing group, are all reliable bullpen pitchers. 안전놀이터
However, that is all. Closing pitcher Lee Yong-chan posted 4.34 ERA, which is hardly sufficient. Ryu has posted an earned run average of 7.90 in 34 games, as he has been suffering from the aftermath of his 70th appearance in last year’s games. There are also cases in which Ryu has played as a member of the Futures team in a surprise move.
NC has been successful in recruiting foreign players this year. Although Daniel Castano was replaced during the season, Kyle Hart was aiming for the Triple Crown until he was out of the rotation, and Matt Davidson is eyeing the homerun king. Although he has two top foreign players, there are not many players to support him. Moreover, Castano’s decision to take the alternative is still a failure. Eric Jokish allowed two homers in each of the two games and failed to complete the five innings. He has to take the mound at the Korean Coors Field Cheongju Baseball Stadium on Tuesday.
Both players, who were active in the game, are not in perfect condition now, and their performance has deteriorated further. Hart was away for three weeks due to cold and dehydration. Although Davidson did not miss the first team entry after suffering left adductor muscle injury, he missed games on Wednesday and Thursday.
With the exception of Davidson, who has yet to be eliminated from the first division, Hart, Kim Young-kyu and Kim Han-byeol are expected to be able to return soon. Hart will take the mound in a game against the Lotte Futures team that will take place at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Tuesday. Kim plans to play in a Futures League game this week. Kim Han-byeol will participate in the Futures League when he can play in the game after confirming his recovery.
NC’s regular season game this year is against SSG Landers at Changwon NC Park on the 26th of next month. There is about a month left, and it is unlikely that Park Kun-woo and Son Ah-seop will return before then. Park is still fixing the fracture. Son Ah-seop may be able to return “miraculously” because he is undergoing a rehabilitation program, but there is no justification for him to return too far.