It’s so slow.”
NC Dinos coach Kang In-kwon sighed at the story of Kim Si-hoon (24, NC Dinos) ahead of the home game against the Doosan Bears held at Changwon NC Park on the 24th.
Kim Si-hoon, who joined as a first-round pick in 2018, made his first appearance in the first team last year and defended NC by recording 4 wins and 11 holds in 59 games.
Kim Si-hoon’s performance in the first half wasn’t bad either. In 36 games, he recorded 3 wins, 1 loss, 3 saves, 10 holds, and an ERA of 3.48, while also protecting his victory by finishing with a certain-win group.
Entering the second half of the season, Kim Si-hoon’s pace dropped sharply. He pitched 17⅔ innings in 20 games, posting an ERA of 6.62.
Coach Kang said, “(Kim) Si-hoon is slow to find his condition.”
It also led to self-blame for not being able to give more opportunities in the tight ranking battle. NC is in 3rd place with 68 wins, 2 draws, and 55 losses as of 25 days. They are 2.5 games behind 4th place Doosan (67 wins, 1 draw, 59 losses). They are 2 games behind 2nd place KT Wiz (73 wins, 3 draws, 56 losses).메이저놀이터
It’s a thin ice situation where one win is important. Coach Kang said, “We need to wait a little more innings, but because it is a difficult situation, we can’t wait and have to leave, which seems to be causing impatience for the players as well.”
On the 24th, Kim Si-hoon bowed his head once again. Kim Si-hoon, who came to the mound in the top of the 11th inning with the game tied 3-3, was hit by leadoff hitter Park Gye-beom with an infield hit to third base. He got Kang Seung-ho on a ground ball and put one out and one on base, but the slider he threw to pinch hitter Heo Gyeong-min was driven into the middle, allowing a home run.
Thanks to NC’s timely hit by rookie Park Han-gyeol and the opponent’s error in the bottom of the 11th inning with the bases loaded, Kim Si-hoon was relieved of his regrets.
In the end, rebounding became a task that Kim Si-hoon had to overcome on his own. Coach Kang said, “I’m working hard behind the scenes to find myself, but it’s unfortunate that it’s taking a lot of time,” and waited for the first-round draft prospect to bounce back.