NC Dinos coach Kang In-kwon pointed to Song Myung-ki as the key to the second game of the 2023 KBO League semi-playoffs against SSG Landers.
NC won 4-3 against SSG at Landers Field in Incheon on the 22nd. In the top of the 8th inning, when the game was tied 0-0, pinch hitter Kim Seong-wook’s two-run shot from 1st base with 1 out led to the winning run. While starter Shin Min-hyuk pitched 5⅔ innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, and no runs, and Martin Seo Ho-cheol’s timely hit in the top of the 9th inning, they beat SSG’s pursuit and won.
It was not an easy match. The NC batting line only managed two hits against SSG starter Elias until the 7th inning. Starter Shin Min-hyuk was in crisis against SSG’s batting lineup in the 3rd and 4th innings, but Manager Kang chose to continue on the mound, and Shin Min-hyuk blocked SSG’s batting lineup, maintaining the balance of 0. In the top of the 8th inning, pinch hitter Kim Seong-wook was brought in instead of Oh Young-soo, who was designated as the key man that day, and Kim Seong-wook showed off his impressive performance by targeting Elias’ first pitch and leading to the final two-run shot.
NC, which ranked 4th in the regular season and met the 5th-place Doosan Bears in the wild card game and won 14 to 9, secured a 100% chance of advancing to the playoffs with this victory. Since the KBO League became a 10-team system starting in the 2015 season, all winning teams in the first round of the best-of-five semi-playoffs have advanced to the playoffs. In the past 32 semi-playoffs, the probability of playing in the playoffs after winning the first game is 87.5% (28 times).
Coach Kang formed the same lineup as in the first game. The starting pitcher is Song Myeong-ki. Coach Kang said, “I think the most important thing will be how long Song Myeong-ki lasts. I think the difference between victory and defeat will depend on what kind of pitch he shows.”
-It is the same lineup as the first game.
▶I was worried about Kim Seong-wook, but the current batting line is not bad. I decided that it would be better to maintain stability and find stability rather than change. Kwon Hee-dong also had poor performance against Kim Gwang-hyun this year, but considering the past three years, he was not bad, so he was selected as a starter.
-Is Kim Seong-wook in charge of a specialist?
▶I plan on timing my pinch hit well. Depending on the game situation, he may be selected as a starter depending on the outfielder’s condition, or he may be used as a pinch hitter.
-Is Peddy a designated starter for Game 3 or should we wait to see his condition?
▶Now there is nowhere to go back. I think I will definitely have to go to the third game. (I threw 19 bullpen pitches yesterday) but I didn’t do it with 100% effort. It was a bullpen pitch to check the pitch type. I don’t think I’ve recovered 100% yet. I feel a little anxious, but I don’t think it’s time to put it off any longer. We plan to have him pitch in Game 3.
-The opponent seems to be under a lot of pressure that if they lose today, Pedi will appear in the third game. Does Ace’s presence definitely help?
▶It is definitely helpful. However, there are some concerns about his physical condition, so I think we need to think about the replacement timing. (Is there a limit to the number of pitches and innings per appearance?) That is not being considered. We will watch the situation and decide.
-What are your expectations for (2nd round selection) Song Myeong-ki?
▶I would be very grateful if I threw it as long as possible, but if you look at the season, there was always a turning point after one batting order and from the second batting order. At that moment, I think I’ll give it some thought. Song Myeong-ki’s personality is not the type of person to be nervous. I think my physical condition will be important today.
-The second pitcher after Song Myeong-gi.
▶I plan to hire Choi Seong-young and Lee Jae-hak depending on the situation.
-It’s your first fall baseball game, and how do you feel about playing two games
? ▶I think I’m going crazy (laughs). He can’t sleep and doesn’t seem to eat anything no matter what he eats.
-The success rate of the operations in the previous two games was very good.
▶You just have to choose depending on the situation. The players are doing well.
-The ‘crazy player’ is changing every day, and it seems encouraging that we can solve the problem without relying on just one person.
▶So the results seem to be good. There is a role for the seniors to play, and as the game progresses, that moment comes. I think it’s time for the seniors to do something about it.
-What is today’s match?
▶I think the most important thing is how long Song Myeong-gi lasts. I think victory or defeat will depend on what kind of pitching is shown.
-Shin Min-hyuk, like Song Myeong-gi, tends to be in trouble from the second batting order, but yesterday he showed trust.
▶First of all, I look at the opposing hitter’s true hit rate a lot. Yesterday, Shin Min-hyuk had a crisis, but his true hit rate was on the downside. The changeup also worked very well. So there’s a part where he looks at it a little longer. Likewise today, we will look at Song Myung-gi’s pitch and decide on a replacement based on the opposing batter’s response and true hit rate.
-Kim Hyung-jun is showing good performance in the post-season, and his growth seems to be noticeable after the Asian Games.
▶I think my ability to read batters has improved a little through big games. You can see the ball combination depending on the batter’s tendency rather than the overall game. He seems to have opened his eyes to that aspect while attending the Asian Games.
-Lee Yong-chan felt uneasy in the two games.
▶There is no way that the results will be good even if you replace the finish now. If you do that and fail, you will lose both your profit and your reputation. First of all, I plan to trust Lee Yong-chan a little more. If conditions are bad that day, Ryu Jin-wook may move further back and Lim Jeong-ho may respond.
-I think they thought about moving Song Myeong-ki to the bullpen and using Choi Seong-yeong and Lee Jae-hak as starters.스포츠토토
▶So, I used Song Myung-ki in the bullpen during the season, but his velocity and control were not good. Song Myung-ki was judged to be a type of pitcher closer to a starting pitcher than a bullpen. He was a bit difficult to come out of the bullpen. He decided that it would be better to release Song Myeong-gi first and cut it short with Choi Seong-yeong and Lee Jae-hak.