'Rain has stopped in Incheon' — Ground maintenance begins; despite injury concerns, "Game can start on schedule" [Incheon Field Report]

*This content was translated by AI.

Heavy rain poured down in Incheon, but it began to subside about an hour before the scheduled game start. The only remaining variable is whether the game can proceed as planned.

On the afternoon of the 7th, heavy rain fell at Incheon SSG Landers Field, where the fifth game of the 2026 KBO League season between SSG Landers and NC Dinos was scheduled to take place.

Although the rainfall was so heavy that a normal start seemed impossible, the rain began to taper off about an hour before game time. The game is highly likely to proceed. For both teams, which have engaged in fiercely contested matches in their previous two games, playing as soon as possible is the best scenario.

SSG and NC faced off in a grueling 11-inning extra-inning battle lasting 4 hours and 22 minutes during their May 5th Children's Day matchup, but ultimately failed to produce a winner. SSG used eight pitchers, while NC used nine, resulting in even greater fatigue for both sides.

The situation on the 6th in Gyeonggi Province was similar. The back-and-forth contest remained too close to call until the final moments. Both teams had no choice but to mobilize their entire bullpen. SSG's Kim Geon-woo held the line until the top of the sixth inning before being relieved, but the team also deployed their ace relievers Moon Seung-won, Noh Gyeong-eun, and Kim Min.

NC also saw last year's wins champion Riley Thompson pitch five innings in his return appearance, but the team still had to use six additional relief pitchers afterward.

The result was a 7-6 victory for SSG, thanks to a walk-off hit by Jeong Jun-jae. However, the game left both SSG and NC with a profound sense of exhaustion.

Before the game, manager Lee Sung-yong told reporters, "The best outcome would be a rain cancellation," citing the fact that the core lineup is struggling simultaneously and the bullpen pitchers are already fatigued.

Moreover, with temperatures hovering in the early 10s Celsius and the ground still wet after the rain, concerns about potential injuries have grown. Lee Ho-jun, NC's general manager, expressed worry, stating, "We must be careful at times like this," and added, "We should proceed according to natural order."

As of 5:50 p.m., the waterproof tarp had been removed. Initially, the game supervisor's office indicated that ground maintenance would likely delay the start by about 10 minutes, pushing the kickoff to around 6:40 p.m. However, maintenance progressed faster than expected, and officials now explained that the game could start on schedule.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.