The last of the first half of the year, Nakdonggang River The B. Na Kyung-an's 'April MVP' matchup completed
NC Dinos Eric Pedi and Lotte Giants Na Kyung-an, who competed in good faith for the regular league monthly MVP in April, will clash at the "Nakdonggang River Derby."
NC and Lotte announced Pedi and Na Kyun-an as starting pitchers in Game 7 of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at Changwon NC Park on the 11th, respectively. Lotte is in fourth place alone, one game ahead of NC, and its ranking may vary depending on the results of the last three consecutive games in the first half of this year.
NC has been in a severe slump with 2 wins and 8 losses in the last 10 games. Last weekend, he bowed to the Luigi series, losing both games to the Samsung Lions at home.
With the biggest crisis since the opening, the ace is the only thing to trust. After using Pedi as a starting pitcher to break the losing streak, he aims to recapture fourth place.
Pedi is showing off his scary performance with 11 wins, 2 losses and a 1.73 ERA in 14 games this season, his first year in the KBO League. He has consistently maintained his ace status with four wins and one loss in six games in April, four wins and four losses in May, a 3.09 ERA in four games, and a 2.12 ERA in three games in June.
He lost two games of the season with five hits, two walks, eight strikeouts and two runs in five innings against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on the 5th, but his pitching content and condition are not bad.
He will take the mound for the first time against Lotte. I didn't have a chance to face Lotte hitters not only in the regular league but also in exhibition games. NC is counting on Pedi's shoulders as he entered the "invincible" mode with four wins, one loss and a 1.72 ERA in five games this season in Changwon, his home turf.
Lotte also expects Na Kyun-an to continue his winning streak to fourth place. Na Kyun-an has emerged as a league-level domestic starting pitcher with 6 wins, 2 losses and a 3.17 ERA in 15 games so far in the first half of this year, his third year as a pitcher. In April, he enjoyed winning his first monthly MVP in his professional debut with four wins and an undefeated 1.34 ERA.
However, he, who slowed down with one win, one loss, and a 3.62 ERA in five games due to bad luck in May, is struggling with one win, one loss and a 5.32 ERA in four games in June.
Having been excluded from the entry once due to inflammation of the ligament inside his elbow, he struggled somewhat with four hits, one home run, two walks and three runs (two earned runs) in five innings against the Hanwha Eagles on the 5th. Na Kyun-an aims not only to win the team but also to rebound with personal success in his last appearance in the first half. 스포츠토토
Against NC, he reigns as a "dinosaur killer" with two wins and one-hold ERA in six career games (three starts). Park Kun-woo was very weak with four hits in 10 at-bats, but was eliminated from the first-tier entry on the 3rd due to team chemistry problems.
Lotte has an absolute advantage with 5 wins and 1 loss in the Nakdonggang River Derby this season In July, both teams shook the mound and the batters showed great ups and downs, making it difficult to predict the last three consecutive games in the first half.
The lowest Samsung Lions and the sixth-ranked KIA Tigers announced Won Tae-in and Yoon Young-chul as starting pitchers on the 11th, respectively.
In Incheon, the Doosan Bears, which had recently won eight consecutive games, will face right-hander Young-gun Kim Dong-joo against the second-place SSG Landers. SSG Landers will take the second chance to start following the opening of right-hander Lee Kun-wook in his 10th year and challenge to win the season's first championship.
For Gocheok, seventh-ranked Kiwoom Heroes' Ahn Woo-jin and eighth-ranked KT Wiz's Wes Benjamin will be starting pitchers. In Jamsil, the leading LG Twins will launch domestic ace Lim Chan-kyu, and the Hanwha Eagles will launch right-handed fireballer Han Seung-hyuk.
