We put runners on base every inning but couldn’t score. At the crucial moment, they made an unforced error. NC’s offensive self-destruction led to an 0-5 loss to KT in Suwon on April 2. They lost all three games in a row and are 2-8 in their last 10 games.
Despite the 0-5 result, NC had more chances. They left a runner on base until the ninth inning. They had three leadoff walks and five scoring chances, but couldn’t score a run. In the seventh inning, down 0-1, with runners on second and third, Park Gun-woo hit a big shot, but the KT infielders made a great catch against the fence. In the eighth inning, they had a chance to tie the game again with runners on second and third, but Park Se-hyuk flied out to center field. 안전놀이터
NC had nine hits on the day. That was three more than KT. They drew two walks and reached base on an error, but left 12 runners on base without scoring a run.
Despite the frustrating offense, NC held a 0-1 lead until the top of the eighth inning. Starter Shin Min-hyuk gave up one run in 4.1 innings, and Kim Young-gyu and Ryu Jin-wook combined for three scoreless innings.
However, a defensive error broke the game open. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Lim Jung-ho walked the leadoff batter, Kim Min-hyuk. Choi Jong-ho followed with a bunt straight to the pitcher. Lim immediately threw to second base, but the ball was too skewed. The ball hit the runner’s body and rolled into the outfield. It was a terrible throwing error that shouldn’t have happened. The pressure was on to not put runners in scoring position in the 0-1 game. 토토사이트 순위
NC switched pitchers to Bae Min-seo with runners on second and third due to a fielding error. However, the ball hit by Anthony Alford was heavily bounced and went over the third baseman’s key, allowing both runners to come home. Park Byung-ho drove in a run with a timely double. NC added an insurance run on a wild pitch.
With the loss, NC dropped all three games in Suwon. The blow was even worse as they were swept by KT, who had a 5-1 record against them before this series. It was the first time in 1907 days since April 10-12, 2018 that NC lost a three-game series to KT.
KT starter Ko Young-pyo tossed 6.2 scoreless innings to improve to 7-4 on the season. He lowered his ERA to 2.91. He left runners on base in every inning, but his steady pitching kept him out of trouble. His offspeed changeup, which sits below 120 kilometers per hour, kept the NC batters on their toes. On the day, Ko struck out seven batters, tying his career high for a single game this season.
At the plate, the team’s top hitter, Park Kyung-soo, went 2-for-3 with a double. He led off the third inning with a double and scored the game-winning run on Kim Min-hyuk’s infield grounder. With his first hit of the day, a double in the third inning, Park tied the team record for most hits in a KT uniform with his 732nd, and again in his second at-bat of the fifth inning for his 733rd. The previous record holder, KT hitting coach Han Yu-joon, clapped from the dugout to congratulate Park on his record-breaking performance. Park has been a part of KT’s history since 2015, his first season in the first team, until this season.