The professional baseball NC Dinos are crying over repeated injury setbacks. Although the situation is difficult, they hope for a big hit from their young power hitters.

NC fielded a lineup against the starting pitcher KODI Poncy of Hanwha on the 20th, with Min-woo Park (second baseman), Joo-won Kim (shortstop), Ah-seob Son (right fielder), Hyung-jun Kim (catcher), Young-su Oh (designated hitter), Han-gyeol Park (left fielder), Jae-hwan Han (first baseman), Hwi-jip Kim (third baseman), and Si-won Park (center fielder). The starting pitcher is Lee Yong-chan.

Kwon Hee-dong, shining with a league-leading on-base percentage of .478, has been removed from the starting lineup. Kwon was hit on the left lat muscle by the first pitch fastball clocked at 148 km/h from the opposing starting pitcher Dong-joo Moon during the first at-bat on the previous day (19th) against Hanwha. The pitch came in tight with no chance to escape, and Kwon, who collapsed in his spot, complained of pain and was replaced by substitute runner Jeong-won Choi.

Kwon Hee-dong, who was immediately moved to the hospital for X-ray and CT scans, fortunately emerged with a simple bruise, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. However, in a game needing to break a losing streak, the disappointment of losing him after just one at-bat cannot be dismissed. That day, NC lost to Hanwha 2-7, enduring a third consecutive defeat due to rain leading to a call game in the fifth inning.

NC manager Lee Ho-jun mentioned in an interview before the game on the 20th regarding Kwon Hee-dong, "It’s a bruise, but he says there is some pain when running and fielding. I’m thinking of using him as a pinch hitter."

With Park Gun-woo (hamstring) and Matt Davidson (back) sidelined due to injuries, NC hopes for the power of young batters with Kwon Hee-dong also missing from the starting lineup. Catcher Hyung-jun Kim made his first start as the cleanup hitter for the season, and Han Jae-hwan, who hit a home run in the Future League game against KIA on the previous day (19th), was called up to the first-team roster and placed in the seventh batting order. Pitcher Kim Tae-hyun and infielder Choi Jeong-won were sent down to the second team, leading to the call-up of infielders Han Jae-hwan and Dae-hoon Ko.

Manager Lee Ho-jun expressed expectations for the opposing starting pitcher (Poncy), stating, "It’s not easy to hit consecutive hits off him, so I put in batters who can hit for power. I hope Jae-hwan continues the rhythm from hitting a home run yesterday with Team C."

Meanwhile, third baseman Hwi-jip Kim, who was replaced after a throwing error in the fourth inning the previous day, will also start today. Manager Lee said, "We had three throwing errors over the past two days. I thought about taking him out due to psychological issues, but I decided to start him as a way for him to overcome it."

Additionally, Manager Lee revealed his expectations for starting pitcher Lee Yong-chan. The veteran right-hander, who switched to a starting role for the first time in five years, collapsed in his first appearance of the season on the 13th against Lotte, with 2 innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, 2 hit-by-pitches, 2 strikeouts, and 5 earned runs. Manager Lee stated, "He said he was very nervous that day. Today, it will be different from the first day, but it might be a real test. I am also curious about how he will perform."

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