'0:1→1:1→1:2→3:2→3:4→4:4' After a fierce battle, NC's Kwon Hee-dong hit the season's first home run to secure a 6-4 victory over Hanwha [Changwon On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

A fierce battle of hit and run unfolded. The final period of the long contest was marked by Kwon Hee-dong (36, NC Dinos)'s first home run of the season.

On the 27th, NC defeated Hanwha Eagles 6-4 in a home game at Changwon NC Park in the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With the win, NC secured its 20th victory (27 losses, 1 tie) and maintained its 8th-place position. Meanwhile, Hanwha, which had been on a three-game winning streak, suffered a loss, finishing with 23 wins and 25 losses, remaining in 5th place.

NC lined up with Kim Ju-won (shortstop), Han Seok-hyun (right fielder), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Park Geon-woo (designated hitter), Lee Woo-seong (left fielder), Matt Davidson (first baseman), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), Park Si-won (center fielder), and Shin Jae-in (third baseman). Natsuki Toda made the starting pitching appearance.

Hanwha's lineup featured Lee Won-seok (center fielder), Yonatan Peraza (right fielder), Moon Hyun-bin (left fielder), Kang Baek-ho (designated hitter), Noh Si-hwan (third baseman), Kim Tae-yeon (first baseman), Lee Do-yoon (second baseman), Heo In-seo (catcher), and Sim Woo-jun (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Park Jun-young, who earned his debut win as the first player promoted from the development squad on the 10th.

Power hitting erupted from the first inning. In the top of the first with one out, Peraza powerfully connected with a 130 km/h slider thrown inside, sending the ball over the center field wall. Hanwha took a 1-0 lead. This was his 10th home run of the season, completing back-to-back double-digit home run seasons.

NC immediately counterattacked in the bottom of the first. They unsettled the unfamiliar starter Park Jun-young. In the bottom of the first, leadoff hitter Kim Ju-won swung hard at the first pitch, hitting a massive double to left-center field. With one out, Park Min-woo also hit a large double, scoring the first run.

Thereafter, the starting pitchers delivered performances exceeding expectations. Hanwha's temporary starter Park Jun-young retired the side in order in the second inning, retired Han Seok-hyun and Park Min-woo on grounders with one out and runners on second in the third, and induced a double play in the fourth to end the inning with just three batters faced. He retired the side in order again in the fifth, meeting the criteria for the winning pitcher.

Toda also retired the side in order in the second and fifth innings by inducing double plays, even after allowing baserunners. He gave up three hits and one run in the fourth but pitched cleanly through the sixth inning.

Park Jun-young appeared again in the bottom of the sixth, aiming for his debut quality start (six or more innings pitched with three or fewer earned runs). He retired Kim Ju-won and Han Seok-hyun on grounders, needing just one more out to achieve the QS, but the NC lineup did not cooperate.

Park Min-woo smashed a 136 km/h fastball that was low and inside, sending it over the right-field wall. This was his second home run of the season, tying the game. Park Geon-woo then stepped up to the plate with a 1-2 count and lifted a low curveball over the left-field wall for a large, game-winning home run. This was his ninth home run of the season and marked the ninth back-to-back home run of the KBO season.

Ultimately, Park Jun-young was pulled in a crisis of defeat, but the Hanwha lineup turned the tide again in the top of the seventh. Sim Woo-jun hit a 147 km/h fastball from the reliever Bae Jae-hwan over the left-field wall.

After Lee Won-seok hit a ground ball single to right field, the pitcher was changed to Kim Young-gyu. Kim Young-gyu struck out Peraza but allowed an infield hit to Moon Hyun-bin. He then engaged in a three-pitch battle with Kang Baek-ho before suddenly removing his glove. He was ultimately replaced by Lim Ji-min due to a perceived abnormality.

According to NC, "Kim Young-gyu was replaced due to discomfort in his left shoulder during pitching in the top of the seventh. He is currently undergoing icing treatment and is scheduled for a hospital visit tomorrow."

Lim Ji-min, who appeared suddenly, struggled with control, issuing consecutive walks to Kang Baek-ho and Noh Si-hwan, allowing Hanwha to take the lead again with a bases-loaded walk.

Predicting the outcome until the end was difficult. In the bottom of the seventh, luck favored NC. With one out, Kim Hyung-jun reached base on a walk, and substitute runner Choi Jeong-won advanced to third base by taking advantage of a fielding error by Lee Sang-gyu during a pickoff attempt. With two outs and runners on first and third, Kim Ju-won's precise hit became an infield single, allowing Choi Jeong-won to score and tie the game 4-4.

In the top of the eighth, Jung Woo-ju, who had returned from the starting rotation to the setup role, appeared on the Hanwha mound. However, his control wavered, and he walked Ahn Jung-yeol, taking a 0-2 count with one out and a runner on first. But Kwon Hee-dong lifted a low 149 km/h fastball for a 120-meter two-run home run to left field. This was his first home run of the season in his 15th game, giving his team the momentum for victory.

Jeon Sa-min, who appeared in the ninth inning, allowed a hit to the leadoff batter but induced a double play from Moon Hyun-bin to retire the runners and struck out Kang Baek-ho looking, securing his third save of the season and preserving the team's victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.