This is a very unusual situation. The best hitter on the team went down to the second group.
NC Dinos coach Kang In-kwon said before the game against Kiwoom on the 4th, “I hoped that he would not act out of the original team. In that respect, Park Kun-woo was very sorry.”
In fact, it is a second military action that is no different from disciplinary action. What happened? Manager Kang In-kwon avoided commenting, but it is known that Park Kun-woo requested a break or a replacement in games several times this season.
In particular, Park Geon-woo was suddenly replaced after wielding 2 hits in 4 at-bats against KT on the 2nd, and it was revealed that the player requested it first.
NC is in extreme slump with 2 wins and 8 losses in the last 10 games until meeting Kiwoom. This put a brake on the fierce pursuit of the leaders (LG, SSG), and lost the first game of three consecutive matches against Kiwoom during the week, maintaining an uneasy tie for third place with Lotte.
If the sluggishness is prolonged, it is possible to fall below the middle rank. 5th place Doosan followed by half a game, 6th place Kiwoom (1.5 games car) and 7th place KT (2.5 games car) are closely connected.
Park Kun-woo was ordered to conduct the 2nd disciplinary action for a similar issue in Doosan in the past. Coach Taehyung Kim, who commanded Doosan at the time in 2021, ordered Park Kun-woo to go to the second group as a surprise, saying, “I was tired and wanted to rest, so I told him to go to the second group and rest well.” explained.
Baseball is a structure in which pitchers and batters face each other 1:1 within the fence of a team. But overall, baseball is a clear team sport. For teammates to advance, they have to endure their own outs with bunts and sacrifice hits, and pitchers also spray the ball for team victory in their respective positions. In this process, if you only take care of your own safety, it can harm the team atmosphere.안전놀이터
The opposite is also true. It is Kiwoom that gave NC a defeat. Kiwoom ace Ahn Woo-jin has not been supported by scoring support this season and has not accumulated many multipliers despite special pitching. Ahn Woo-jin quietly performed his role without saying anything in spite of the scoring drought of the batting line and the arson of the bullpen.
However, it has recently fallen into sluggishness, and even in this NC game, it was sluggish with 9 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings, but was able to win its 6th win of the season with ample support from other lines. Ahn Woo-jin, who had a long-awaited smile, cheered by clapping at the dugout after being replaced, and enjoyed the joy of sharing high-fives with his teammates who gave him victory after the match. Silently leading the team when things are going well and being able to lean on your teammates when things are tough is what coaches call ‘one team’.