NC won 2-1 at home against the 2023 KBO League Kiwoom Heroes at Changwon NC Park on the 5th. Ace Pedi pitched well with two hits and no runs in seven innings, and the batters supported Park Kun-woo’s two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. He gave up a run in defense in the top of the ninth inning, but kept the lead.
NC lost against the Daegu Samsung Lions on the 3rd and gave up fourth place to KIA. He recorded his 58th win (2 draws and 51 losses) of the season, recording a 0.531 winning rate, again ahead of KIA (0.528 winning rate), which was postponed due to rain against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil. Kiwoom’s starter Ian McKinney pitched two runs in six innings for the first time in a long time, but the hot lineup last week was silent.
The game, which had been tense until the fifth inning, was out of balance in the sixth inning. NC leadoff hitter Son Ah-seop got a walk against McKinney, and Park Min-woo hit a ground ball and the leading runner was out of the second base, but Park Kun-woo hit McKinney’s change-up and crossed the right fence to lead 2-0.
Pedi had nine strikeouts until the sixth inning, tying Kiwoom’s batting line tightly. He also took the mound in the seventh inning, striking out Lim Byung-wook to left field and Kim Hwi-jip and Lee Hyung-jong to complete seven scoreless innings.
NC put closer Lee Yong-chan in the top of the ninth inning with a 2-0 lead. After one out, he gave up one run after a triple by Song Sung-moon and a timely hit to the left by Lim Byung-wook, but he defended the lead by grounding and striking out follow-up Kim Hwi-jip and Lee Hyung-jong, respectively. Lee Yong-chan, who recorded 20 saves in the season, recorded 20 saves in two consecutive seasons (2022-2023).
Kiwoom had a team batting average of 0.319 in five games last week. It was second out of ten clubs. Leading hitter Lee Jung-hoo fell out due to a left ankle injury, and veteran Lee Yong-kyu left due to poor condition, but new faces such as transfer student Lee Ju-hyung and third-year catcher Kim Si-ang helped the attack and showed organized attack. 스포츠토토
Such Kiwoom’s batting line failed to surpass Pedi. The four-game winning streak has also been put on hold. Before the game, Pedi had 16 wins and 6 losses and a 2.39 ERA, keeping him tied for first place in the league’s multiple wins and second place in the ERA. He won 17 games on the day (5th), leaving only three wins to 20 wins in the 2023 season. His ERA was lowered to 2.28, surpassing Doosan’s Raul Alcantara (2.37).