The NC Dinos received an invitation to the postseason for the first time in three years. However, poor performance of closer Lee Yong-chan caused anxiety in the future schedule.
NC beat the LG Twins in the 2023 professional baseball KBO League 8-4 at Changwon NC Park on the 13th.
As a result, NC, which recorded 74 wins, 2 draws and 65 losses, secured at least 5th place regardless of the results of the remaining games, keeping 4th place behind the 3rd place SSG Landers (74 wins, 3 draws and 64 losses). It is the first time in three years that NC will play on the postseason stage since 2020, when it won its first integrated championship.
There was also bad news as starting pitcher Tanner Turley (three hits, one homer, one strikeout, one run, one total pitch, 111 pitches) who earned five wins (two losses) in the season, and Kim Sung-wook, who led the attack with two hits and three RBIs in four at-bats, were reported one after another. It was the poor performance of closer Lee Yong-chan.
Lee Yong-chan, a native of Jangchung High School and started his professional career with the first nomination from the Doosan Bears in 2007, is a veteran right-hander with a heavy four-seam fastball. He has been wearing NC uniforms since the 2021 season, and until last year, he recorded a career-high 3.70 ERA with 57 wins, 56 losses, 128 saves and seven holds in 440 games (102 starts, 937.1 innings).
Lee Yong-chan's performance continued this season. He slowed down with a 6.35 ERA in April, but rebounded with a 2.25 ERA in May. He then shook again with an ERA of 4.91 in June, but showed some stability after that. Prior to the match against LG in Changwon on the 13th, this year's performance was 4 wins, 4 losses, 28 saves, and an ERA of 3.51 in 57 games.
But there was definitely an element of anxiety, too. As the ranking battle intensified, Lee Yong-chan took the mound more frequently in October. Including this game against LG, he took the mound six times in October alone. Considering the age of 34, he could have felt physically burdened. Perhaps because of that, in the match against SSG on the 8th, he was shaken by 0 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 homer, and 3 runs.
Lee Yong-chan, who pitched as a relief pitcher for Lim Jung-ho in the top of the eighth inning with two outs and a runner on second base with NC leading 8-5, walked Choi Hang and hit a timely RBI hit to Kim Kang-min in the right-center. In the first and third bases with two outs, he had to bow down to Oh Tae-gon by dedicating his head to three points in reverse that went over the left fence.
Fortunately, Lee Yong-chan seemed to rebound in the match against the Hanwha Eagles in Changwon on the 10th, making a save with one inning of no hit and no run. But he couldn't find stability on that day either. Taking the mound in the top of the ninth inning with NC leading 8-1, he allowed Austin Dean and Son Ho-young to hit left in succession, and even gave up a walk to Chung Ju-hyun and quickly loaded the bases with no outs.
Even after that, Lee Yong-chan rarely found a way out. Kim Bum-seok, the follow-up hitter, hit a superbly curved ball toward the third base and gave home to two runners. In Jeon Joon-ho's at-bat with no outs and runners on the second and third bases, he even committed a wild pitch. He managed to report his first out count by catching third baseman Chung Ju-hyun, who was digging home at this time due to a blessing in disguise, and led Jeon Joon-ho to a grounder to third base, but in the meantime, he had to watch Kim Beom-seok step home. Fortunately, Seo Geon-chang struck out and did not lose any more runs, but Lee Yong-chan's performance remained with three hits, one out, one strikeout and three runs in one inning. His ERA soared to 3.90.
Despite Lee Yong-chan's poor performance, NC won the postseason ticket by sounding the victory. However, the future schedule is more important. As mentioned earlier, NC, which is currently in fourth place, is fiercely competing for third place with SSG in third place and Doosan Bears (73 wins, 2 draws and 65 losses) in fifth place. If they can finish the regular league in third place, they can start autumn baseball from the semi-playoffs. This could have a profound impact on NC's final performance this year. There are only three games left to decide this.
With fierce blood clots expected to continue every game in the future, the importance of a stable finisher who takes the mound at the end of the game and protects the team's victory cannot be overemphasized. Furthermore, this is an essential factor for NC in the postseason. Attention is focusing on whether veteran Lee Yong-chan will be able to rebound and lead NC to a higher place.
