'8th-place commander' finally draws his sword → After 10 p.m., launches 'special group coverage' at hotel "We must do something, anything. For the time being, we will not distinguish between home and away games."

*This content was translated by AI.

'Charismatic' Lee Ho-jun (50), NC Dinos manager, finally drew his sword. Even after moving to the hotel following the game, special training was conducted.

Manager Lee Ho-jun held an interview with reporters after the game scheduled against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium on the 20th was canceled due to rain.

The manager stated, "Starting from yesterday (the 19th), we decided to gather the entire team at night after moving to the hotel. We conducted light swing practice to adjust our balance. We plan to continue night training for the time being."

NC lost 3-9 to Doosan the previous day without mounting any significant counterattack. With this defeat, NC fell into a two-game losing streak, recording 18 wins, 1 draw, and 24 losses. The team currently sits alone in 8th place in the league standings. The game ended around 9:22 p.m., and after moving to the hotel, the team began special training around 10 p.m.

The manager said, "It is not about doing grand exercises, but rather to have time for conversation and communication. Since there is a large space like a seminar room in the hotel, we are utilizing it. We feel such training is necessary for the time being and plan to continue it. In addition to swing practice, we will also spend time discussing the poor performances from the day's game with the batting coaches."

He continued, "The training time is not that long. Nor are we just swinging blindly. If the results are poor, mustn't we do something? We cannot simply let things slide by saying 'they can't hit.' Veterans readily agreed to participate. (Foreign batter) Davis also attended. All team members are participating. Pitching coaches were also present. I am watching from the field. For the time being, we plan to conduct night training little by little, regardless of whether we are at home or away. Players who have completed the required amount will leave first, while those needing additional training will stay longer."

Night special training does not necessarily mean breaking a sweat. In any case, it can be interpreted as an effort to gather together, communicate, and find a breakthrough in a situation where the team is not performing well, as expected by the commander.

The manager emphasized, "Training at the baseball field has a slightly different meaning. It is also time for conversation. Sometimes, simply swinging the bat without hitting the ball is better than training that involves hitting the ball. It is more effective for working on speed and swing trajectory. We also conducted night training last year when the team was not doing well. Now, we must try everything."

NC currently ranks 7th in team batting average (0.260) and 9th in team hits (380). One reason for the manager's decision to make such changes is that they had previously reduced training volume to provide more rest. He believes it is now time to change direction.

He stated, "As the first step, we adopted a method of waiting when players faced difficulties. In the early part of the season, we reduced training volume and provided rest. However, if the hitting feel does not return, we must move to the next step. This is exactly that step. You can view it as a process of reviving the bat through training again. When the atmosphere is not improving, simply resting is not the solution. This is a method I used during my time as a coach at LG. It is a necessary part of the team, so there should be no problem. There is no need to swing the bat. Just talking is fine. The purpose is to solidify our will to gather and try something together."

Finally, the manager said, "This also has the meaning of creating a space where players can bond. If we (the coaching staff) step back, (Park) Geon-woo or (Park) Min-woo can come out and talk among themselves. This is not a coercive training method like when we were young. We are doing image training, watching batting forms, and spending about 40 to 50 minutes talking with coaches even without swinging the bat hard. The captain has asked the veterans to take the lead for the time being and spend this time together. The captain agreed."

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*This content was translated by AI.