Ahead of the start of the second half of professional baseball, the NC Dinos made up for the ‘bullpen weakness’.
NC was not classified as a candidate for the quarterfinals ahead of the opening of professional baseball this season. National team catcher Yang Eui-ji (Doosan Yang Eui-ji) left the team as a free agent (FA), and even ace Drew Luchinski (Oakland Athletics) returned to the US Major League Baseball (MLB). It was evaluated that both pitching and batting ability were weakened compared to the previous year, although much effort was put into reinforcement, such as recruiting catcher Park Se-hyuk as an external free agent.아톰카지노
When the regular season race began, it exceeded expectations. At one time, it emerged as a dark horse to break the two-way structure between LG Twins (49 wins, 2 draws, 30 losses) and SSG Landers (46 wins, 1 draw, 32 losses). Although the team stumbled due to a last-minute losing streak in the first half, it turned the turning point with 4th place in the league (39 wins, 1 draw, 38 losses) and raised the possibility of advancing to fall baseball, which is possible up to 5th place.
One of NC’s strengths is its bullpen. As the “young blood” including Kim Jin-ho, Kim Si-hoon, and Ryu Jin-wook grew up, the depth (players) became solid. The old bullpen pitchers, who are the envy of other teams, stood out everywhere. The left hand cards also varied. Kim Young-gyu, Lim Jeong-ho, and Ha Jun-young were put in the right place at the right time depending on the situation. Swingman Choi Seong-young and veteran finisher Lee Yong-chan were full of resources to the extent that a ‘quantity battle’ was possible. As a result, the bullpen ERA was 2nd in April, 3rd in May, and 2nd in June, consistently maintaining the upper ranks. However, as the season went on, the number of injuries piled up and the structure went through fine cracks.
Kim Jin-ho, who played as a key bullpen for the NC Dinos at the beginning of the season, was taken off the line due to an injury. Provided by NC
NC’s July bullpen ERA was 5.75, ranking 7th. It was the worst season-by-month performance. Kim Jin-ho (rotator cuff injury in the right shoulder), Lim Jeong-ho (left elbow inflammation), and Choi Seong-young (orbital fracture), who were put in as a starter, all suffered injuries. To make matters worse, even Lee Yong-chan showed ups and downs, and the sense of stability in the bullpen fell. Bullpen reinforcements were needed to maintain pace in the second half.
On the 18th, after much consideration, NC acquired Chae Ji-sun, a right-handed bullpen, through a trade with the LG Twins. Although Choi Seung-min, the main runner, was given up, an alternative to Kim Jin-ho, who needs more time to return, was found outside. In a phone call with this magazine, Lim Seon-nam, NC general manager, said, “Since the pitching staff has a lot of injuries, the depth has become insufficient.
Director Kang In-kwon judged Chae Ji-seon to have an ‘immediate sense of power’. Chae Ji-seon appeared in 55 games in the first team, recording an average ERA of 4.00 with 1 win and 3 holds. In his all season, he mainly stayed in the Futures (2nd team) league. Season 2’s performance was 17 matches, 2 wins, 1 loss, 3 holds, average ERA of 3.63. In the last 10 games, the average ERA was 0.82 (1 run in 11 innings), which complied. It is expected that he will get more opportunities to participate than he did during his LG days.