The rise of NC Dinos, the ‘dinosaur corps’ of professional baseball, is unusual. Despite the power that was classified as underdog, they surprisingly won 5 consecutive wins and gave SSG Landers the first losing series of the season, igniting the battle for the lead. With the stable pitching and hitting balance outstanding, minimizing injuries emerged as a challenge.
As of the 17th, NC is recording a win-loss margin of +5 with 9 wins and 5 losses. Among the 10 teams, they are tied for second place with the LG Twins. The leading SSG was behind in the winning rate, but there was no riding. It has only been two weeks since the opening, but they are standing shoulder to shoulder with the teams that placed first and second in the regular season last year.
Just a month ago, few pundits had foreseen such a leaderboard. It was natural. This is because during the Stove League, many senior players who will hold the center in the middle-ranking team, which are not enough to reinforce their strength, have left.
The defectors were not ‘so-so’ veterans. Yang Eui-ji, the national team hostess, and Noh Jin-hyeok, an infielder who can expect double-digit homers with a batting average in the late 20% range every year, have left the team. Franchise star Won Jong-hyun, who played an active role as a pillar of the bullpen with an average ERA of 2 points last year, also changed his uniform. To fill the catcher gap, Park Se-hyuk was recruited, but it was difficult to erase the impression that the overall failure was Stove League. Even on Media Day on the 30th of last month, no coach picked NC as a strong team.
It did not take long for the pessimistic outlook to be overturned. NC, who balanced with 1 win and 1 loss in the opening 2 consecutive games, started with the Kiwoom Heroes match on the 7th and started with 5 consecutive wins, raising momentum. It also created a winning series against KT Wiz, who was considered the best player before the season, and eventually won a decision victory against SSG, the current No. 1 player. 먹튀검증
The number one contributor to surprise propaganda is, of course, the mound. It is the only team in the league with an average ERA of 2 points (2.49). Eric Peddy, the first foreign starter, and Song Myeong-ki, a native young gun, owe a lot to this. The two pitched in 3 games each, maintaining an average ERA of 0 points side by side and winning 3 games together. It is encouraging considering that Chang-mo Koo is somewhat lagging and Tyler Widener is also missing from the rotation.
The bullpen performance is also dazzling. Lee Yong-chan is reigning as the best closer at the beginning of the season with 1 win and 2 saves in 6 games. Kim Yeong-gyu and Ryu Jin-wook, who are building the Pilseungjoo together, are also iron-clad every day. These three did not allow a single earned run in 18⅓ combined innings.
Line flow is also good. Park Min-woo, who was caught with a large sum of 14 billion won last winter, is paying for his meal by wielding a 40% hit. Transfer student Park Se-hyuk boasts Altoran-like productivity with a batting average of 0.263 and two homers, and infield utility Seo Ho-cheol is also notable.
The number one uninvited guest in ‘A House That Works Well’ is injury. NC, which showed unexpected success, was also put to the test. During the three-game series against SSG, Park Se-hyeok and Seo Ho-cheol were injured after being hit in the head by bats and pitches, respectively. The key is how sticky they will hold out until they get back on track.