SSG Landers, who are in second place in the league, and NC Dinos, who are in a state of disarray, face each other in Incheon. Both teams will send ace pitchers from the first game, and a fierce match is expected.
SSG and NC will play three consecutive matches during the week at SSG Landers Field in Incheon starting on the 8th. The difference between SSG (52 wins, 1 draw and 39 losses) and NC (48 wins, 1 draw and 43 losses) is 4 games. Depending on the result of the 3 consecutive matches, SSG may enter the 2nd place consolidation, or NC may make the 2nd place fight a hassle.꽁머니지급
The atmosphere of the two teams ahead of the match is quite different. After finishing July with 6 wins and 8 losses (7th place), SSG slowed down with 2 wins and 4 losses in the first week of August. In particular, in the game on the 6th, he was tied to the mound of the Lotte Giants and suffered a ‘team no-hit no-run’ defeat.
The injury departure of key hitter Guillermo Heredia is painful. Heredia, who suffered a thigh muscle injury, is expected to take about four weeks to recover, so his long-term departure is inevitable. SSG’s concerns deepen as the vacancy of Heredia, who was playing the role of a solver in the other line, was clearly revealed in the recent game.
On the other hand, the atmosphere in NC is on the rise. He swept 9th place Kiwoom Heroes and 3 consecutive weekend games and ran for 4 consecutive wins. Up to the Lotte Giants match held earlier, he achieved two consecutive winning series and drew an upward curve.
In particular, the dinosaur army has fierce firepower of other ships. NC had a high team batting average of 0.315 last week. That’s 3rd in the league. Park Kun-woo led the attack, Son Ah-seop, and Kwon Hee-dong. NC scored a total of 37 points in 6 games last week. He averaged over 6 points per game.
Even in the opponents of the two teams this season, NC is significantly ahead with 6 wins and 2 losses. In the recent series, NC also swept all three consecutive games.
Both SSG, which is trying to solidify its 2nd place position and close the gap with the leading LG Twins, and NC, which is aiming for 2nd place, are a game that cannot be conceded. Both teams announced Ace as the starting pitcher.
For NC, foreign pitcher Eric Peddie will come out. Peddy is the best pitcher in the league right now. He started 18 games, going 14-3 with a 2.10 earned run average. Most wins, ERA leader in the league. He also achieved quality starts (with 3 earned or less in 6 or more innings of start) 12 times as well.
He played a game against SSG and became the winning pitcher with 6 innings and 2 runs. On the 2nd, against the Lotte Giants, he collapsed with 5 runs in 4 innings and lost, but he is still the most reliable starting pitcher in NC.
Against this SSG, Kim Gwang-hyun is the starting sortie.
Kim Gwang-hyun is recording 6 wins and 3 losses and an average ERA of 3.77 in 17 games this season. Although he is somewhat disappointed in the number of wins, he is responsible for the most wins along with Oh Won-seok among the native starters in the team.
It wasn’t good against NC. He appeared in 1 game and was sluggish with 4 runs in 4⅓ innings. Still, it is worth seeking revenge against NC, as it succeeded in rebounding with 1 run in 7 innings against KT Wiz on the 2nd, which was the recent appearance.
As the results of the first round can influence the overall atmosphere of the series, both teams are expected to pour everything in order to win the match on the 8th. The fight for second place in the second half of the year, and furthermore, the curtain rises in a series that could shake the competition for the lead.