NC’s ‘crazy players’ who were different every game… Will it continue against KT?
There’s a myth that teams win in the postseason when they have a “crazy player.
This fall, the NC Dinos had a “crazy player” in every game. Thanks to them, NC won three straight games in the semi-playoffs against SSG Landers to advance to the playoffs (PO-5 best-of-three).
In the wild-card deciding game against the Doosan Bears, Seo Ho-cheol and Kim Hyung-jun stood out.
Seo collected six RBIs, including the game-winning hit in the fourth inning, while Kim smashed two home runs. Thanks to their bats, NC won 14-9 and headed to the semifinals.
In the first game of the Semi-Finals against SSG, Kim “Crazy” Sung-wook took the mound.
It was Kim who broke down Roenis Elias, who pitched powerfully until the seventh inning. With the score tied at 0-0 in the top of the eighth inning, 카지노사이트넷 Kim pinch-hit and took advantage of Elias’ first-pitch changeup to launch a two-run home run over the left-center field fence. NC quickly took control of the game and went on to win the first game.
NC coach Kang In-hwa hoped that the veteran bats would come alive. This would add to the ripple effect of the batting lineup. “The younger players have done a good job, so now the veterans need to play their part,” he emphasized before the first and second games of the Quarterfinals.
The veterans responded in Game 2. Leadoff hitter Son As-seop worked diligently at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, one triple, two walks and three runs scored, while Park Gun-woo went 5-for-5 with three doubles, two RBIs and one run scored.
“There seems to be a crazy player in every game, but I think it was me today,” said Park, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the team to a 7-3 victory in Game 2.
In Game 3 of the Quarterfinals, Jason Martin hit a game-winning single to give NC the win. Martin, who warmed up with a single in the first and second games of the semifinals, hit a game-winning home run after NC rallied from a 3-5 deficit with a grand slam off Choi Jeong. Trailing 4-5 in the bottom of the second, he hit a three-run shot with runners on first and second.
With a lot of momentum after finishing the semi-POs with three straight wins, NC will be looking to pull off another upset in the POs if their “crazy player” comes through.
In the regular season, NC’s main hitters were strong against KT.
Park Min-woo batted .390 (23-for-59) with six RBIs in 15 games against KT this year. He also hit two doubles and one triple.
Park Gun-woo has also been hot, batting .339 (21-for-62) in 16 games against KT. He hit one home run and drove in 11 runs.
Designated hitter Son Ah-seob also hit .344 (61-for-21) in 16 games, while Seo Ho-rae was strong at .333 (36-for-12) in 11 games. Martin was also consistent against KT, batting .319 (47-for-15) with one home run and nine RBIs in 13 games.
A surprise player could also emerge.
Kim Joo-won is batting just .185 against KT this season, and hasn’t fared much better in the three games of the semifinals, batting .091 (1-for-11). However, he does remember hitting two home runs against KT.