The NC Dinos won a fierce pitching battle, splitting the weekend series with 1 win and 1 loss.
NC defeated the KT Wiz 2-0 in the '2025 Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League' game held at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 22nd. With this victory, they returned home with 1 win and 1 loss after one game was canceled due to rain.
Starting pitcher Logan Allen pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts, and no runs, earning his 4th win of the season. The bullpen, consisting of Bae Jae-hwan (1 inning, no runs) and Ryu Jin-wook (1 inning, no runs), secured the team's victory. Ryu Jin-wook earned his 14th save of the season.
NC's starting lineup consisted of Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Kwon Hee-dong (center fielder), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Matt Davidson (designated hitter), Park Gun-woo (right fielder), Son Ah-seop (left fielder), Seo Ho-cheol (first baseman), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), and Kim Hwi-jip (third baseman). Kim Joo-won and Park Min-woo drove the team to victory with multi-hit games. Pinch runners Choi Jeong-won and Kim Joo-won created crucial scoring opportunities with their speed.
KT's starting pitcher William Cuevas pitched 7⅓ innings, allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch, 2 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs, but he became the losing pitcher due to a lack of run support from the lineup, marking his 8th loss of the season. The bullpen, featuring Park Young-hyun (⅔ inning, no runs) and Woo Kyu-min (1 inning, no runs), performed well, but Park Young-hyun allowed the inherited runner to score, resulting in the team's loss.
KT's starting lineup included Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder), Kim Sang-su (second baseman), Ahn Hyun-min (right fielder), Jang Seong-woo (designated hitter), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Bae Jeong-dae (center fielder), Oh Yun-seok (first baseman), Jo Dae-hyun (catcher), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). Heo Kyung-min had 2 hits and 1 walk in a game with 3 times on base, but it was overshadowed by the team's loss.
In the top of the first inning, leadoff hitter Kim Joo-won reached base with an infield hit. Kwon Hee-dong and Park Min-woo both hit ground balls to advance the runners, creating a 2-out, 3rd base opportunity, but Davidson hit a ground ball to the pitcher, preventing a score. In the 4th inning, leadoff hitter Kwon Hee-dong drew a walk, and while Park Min-woo and Davidson were caught out on fly balls, Park Gun-woo walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. Son Ah-seop hit a ground ball to the shortstop, and again, no runs were scored.
In the bottom of the 5th, leadoff hitter Heo Kyung-min recorded a hit. Bae Jeong-dae was caught on a line drive to the third baseman, but Oh Yun-seok got a hit to create a 1-out, 1st and 2nd base opportunity. After Jo Dae-hyun struck out, Kwon Dong-jin drew a walk to load the bases, but Kim Min-hyuk popped out to left fielder, ending the attack without scoring.
KT had a chance again in the 6th inning. With 1 out, Ahn Hyun-min drew a walk. Jang Seong-woo hit a ground ball to the shortstop, leading to a force out at second base. Heo Kyung-min got a hit, creating a 2-out, 1st and 2nd base opportunity, but Bae Jeong-dae was caught on a fly ball to the right fielder.
In the top of the 8th, with 1 out, Kim Hwi-jip reached base on a walk, and Kim Joo-won hit a single, creating a 1-out, 1st and 3rd base opportunity. Eventually, KT replaced starting pitcher Cuevas with relief pitcher Park Young-hyun. Park Young-hyun struck out Kwon Hee-dong on a swing-and-miss, but 1st base runner Kim Joo-won and 3rd base runner Choi Jeong-won successfully executed a double steal to score the first run. Park Min-woo then added another run with an RBI single. In this process, Park Min-woo was caught in a rundown, ending the NC attack.
In the bottom of the 8th, leadoff hitter Kim Sang-su earned a hit. Ahn Hyun-min and Jang Seong-woo both hit ground balls to advance the runner, creating a 2-out, 3rd base opportunity, and Heo Kyung-min drew a walk. However, pinch hitter Lee Jeong-hoon was caught on a ground ball to the pitcher, missing the opportunity. In the top of the 9th, NC's closer Ryu Jin-wook closed the inning cleanly with a 3-up, 3-down to finish the game.
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