Reporter Sangjin Oh = NC Dinos’ ‘Super Ace’ Eric Peddy (30) led the way for 5 consecutive wins in fall baseball.
NC won 9-5 against KT Wiz in the first game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League Postseason Playoffs (PO) held at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on the 30th. Following the wild card game (1 win) and semi-PO (3 wins), NC went on to win the 1st PO game, winning 5 consecutive postseason games.
The biggest contributor to the victory was definitely Pedi. Peddie threw 98 pitches in 6 innings and tied up the KT batting lineup with 3 hits (1 home run), 12 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 1 run. Peddy, who recorded 12 strikeouts, broke the previous record of most strikeouts in a single PO game (11) held by Haitai Tigers’ Dong-yeol Sun (October 17, 1989, against the Pacific Dolphins) and Doosan Bears’ Chris Flexen (November 9, 2020, against KT). and achieved a new record.
Fedi has already summoned ‘legend’ Seon Dong-yeol during the regular season. Peddie recorded 20 wins, 6 losses, an ERA of 2.00, and 209 strikeouts in 30 regular season games, becoming the first foreign pitcher to win 20 games in 37 years since Sun Dong-yeol (24 wins, 6 losses, 0.99 ERA in 39 games, 214 strikeouts) in 1986. Achieved 200 strikeouts at the same time.
Despite his overwhelming performance in the regular season, there were concerns about Peddie’s first postseason appearance. In the game against the KIA Tigers on the 16th, Peddie was hit on the right arm by Ko Jong-wook’s batted ball and left the mound. As a result of the examination, he was diagnosed with a bruise. Peddie, who skipped the wild card match and was named as a semi-PO entry, was originally scheduled to start in the third game, but his return was postponed after he was diagnosed with simple collision syndrome as a result of a hospital examination.
However, concerns about Peddie’s physical condition were unfounded. Peddy, who took the mound for the first time in fall baseball after getting enough rest, overwhelmed the KT batting lineup with a fastball exceeding 150 km/h and a sweeper as his main weapon from the first inning. Peddy, who easily handled the first inning with two ground balls and a strikeout, continued his streak of six batters in a row with two strikeouts and a ground ball in the second inning.
Meanwhile, NC shook KT’s starting ‘win percentage king’ William Cuevas from the beginning of the game. In the top of the first inning, NC created a chance for 2nd and 3rd base with no outs thanks to Son Ah-seop’s single and Park Min-woo’s double. Park Geon-woo struck out, but Martin took the lead with a sacrifice fly. In the top of the second inning, leadoff hitter Oh Young-soo hit Cuevas’ 6th pitch fastball after a full count and hit a solo home run to go up 2-0.
In the top of the third inning, Park Min-woo got on base due to an error by KT Hwang Jae-gyun, and then Park Geon-woo hit an RBI double and the score widened to 3-0. Then, Martin’s advanced hit put the team on third base with one out, and Kwon Hee-dong’s timely hit made it 4-0.
Peddy, who received solid scoring support early in the game, threw five consecutive two-seamers to leadoff hitter Moon Sang-cheol in the bottom of the third inning, allowing a solo home run. Bae Jeong-dae then got a lucky infield hit, allowing two batters to hit in a row. However, he was no longer shaken and ended the inning by striking out Kyung-soo Park, striking out Sang-soo Kim, and striking out Jae-gyun Hwang with three pitches.
NC’s batting lineup virtually decided the game in the top of the 4th inning. After Kim Hyeong-jun walked and got on base, Kim Joo-won hit a ground ball in front of the pitcher, but Cuevas made a throwing error, creating a chance to reach first and second base with no outs. Then, Cuevas’ wild pitch put the team on second and third base again, and Son Ah-seop hit a timely hit to bring in a runner on third base. Cuevas could not hold out any longer and went down the mound.
Although KT’s pitcher was replaced by Eom Sang-baek, NC’s blazing scoring streak continued. After Park Min-woo’s walk put the bases loaded and no outs, Park Geon-woo hit a sacrifice fly to make it 6-1. KT dropped Eom Sang-baek and brought in Lee Sang-dong. With one out and runners on first and second base, Martin retired with a fly ball to left field, but the next batter, Kwon Hee-dong, hit a triple that brought in two runners after a tenacious fight that lasted as many as 11 pitches. The score was 8-1. In fact, the game was tilted towards NC.
Peddie also responded to the onslaught of the batting line with a good pitch. In the bottom of the 4th inning, Peddie struck out the KT cleanup trio of Anthony Alford, Byung-ho Park, and Seong-woo Jang. Peddy, who even struck out leadoff hitter Cho Yong-ho in the bottom of the fifth inning, continued his streak of striking out five batters in a row.
In a rematch with Moon Sang-cheol, who allowed a solo shot in the third inning, Peddie strongly appealed the referee’s decision when the 7th ball was declared a ball after a full count match. Coach Kang In-kwon rushed out to calm the situation, and later coach Kim Soo-kyung came to the mound with an interpreter to calm down Peddy. During this process, KT coach Lee Kang-cheol protested to the umpires that NC had visited the mound twice, but it was not accepted. In a situation where the game was delayed, Peddie’s pace could have been shaky, but he actually regained stability. Peddie, who dealt Bae Jeong-dae with a fly ball to center field after two pitches, was hit by pinch hitter Lee Ho-yeon, but struck out Kim Sang-soo and closed out the fifth inning.
Peddy, who was on the mound in the bottom of the 6th inning, struck out Hwang Jae-gyun with a missed swing after 7 pitches, and Alford also hit a fly ball to center field after 7 pitches. He then struck out Park Byung-ho with a sweeper on the fifth pitch, recording his 12th strikeout.
The two teams, who failed to score from the 5th to the 8th inning, traded scores again in the 9th inning. After one out in the top of the 9th inning, NC created a chance with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd bases with consecutive hits by Kwon Hee-dong and Do Tae-hoon, and Oh Young-soo made it 9-1 with a timely hit.
In KT’s final attack in the bottom of the 9th inning, the frustrated batting line gained strength for the first time. After one out, Byung-ho Park opened the game with a double against Si-hoon Kim. Kim Jun-tae’s fly ball to the shortstop put the bases on second with 2 outs, Jung Joon-young’s infield hit, and Moon Sang-cheol’s hit hit left the bases loaded with 2 outs. NC dropped Kim Si-hoon and brought up closer Lee Yong-chan. However, Lee Yong-chan was hit by Bae Jeong-dae’s first pitch fastball, allowing a bases-loaded home run. With all runners gone, Lee Yong-chan ended the game by hitting Lee Sang-ho with a fly ball after just two pitches.메이저사이트
NC had a somewhat disappointing ending in the 9th inning, but Ace Peddy showed off his strength, and the batting line, which has been showing good batting skills throughout fall baseball, pounded KT’s mound and succeeded in winning 5 games in a row. On the other hand, KT’s batting line was lethargic and their defense was shaky, perhaps due to a long break, and they seemed to have lost their sense of actual play. Cuevas, who was strong in big games, also failed to meet expectations with 6 hits (1 home run), 2 strikeouts, 2 walks, and 7 runs (4 earned) in 3 innings.