*This content was translated by AI.
The season for NC Dinos has just begun. Following last year, they are sprinting toward the finish line once again, dreaming of another autumn miracle.
On the 11th, NC secured a 9-7 victory over Hanwha Eagles in an away game at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League season.
NC, currently in sixth place with three consecutive wins, recorded 58 wins, 60 losses, and 2 ties, narrowing the gap to fifth-place Doosan by three games after resting today.
After Sim Woo-jun hit a two-run single in the bottom of the second inning, NC immediately launched a counterattack. Following Park Min-woo's one-run triple in the top of the third, Kim Hwi-jip tied the game with a go-ahead single, resetting the score.
A fierce batting battle ensued thereafter. Hanwha took a one-run lead in the bottom of the third, but Kim Hyung-jun answered with a solo home run to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Hanwha extended their lead again in the bottom of the fourth when Heo In-seo hit a solo home run, prompting Blaine Crim to hit a two-run home run for the go-ahead in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Moon Hyun-bin hit a solo home run over the Monster Wall with a line drive, but Park Min-woo tied the game again in the top of the sixth with a bases-loaded walk, marking his third tie of the day.
In the bottom of the seventh with one out and a runner on first, Ryu Jin-wook, who entered the game, allowed a hit to Choi In-ho but managed to hold off subsequent batters before his teammates delivered key hits.
After Choi Jeong-won drew a walk as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth, followed by Kim Ju-won's hit and Kwon Hee-dong's walk, NC seized a bases-loaded opportunity with no outs. Park Min-woo's sacrifice fly to left field restored the lead, and after Kim Hwi-jip drew a walk, Park Geon-woo delivered a two-run single to seal the victory.
In the bottom of the eighth with no outs and runners on second and third, Hanwha scored one run on Heo In-seo's sacrifice fly. They faced another crisis in the bottom of the ninth when Jeon Sa-min hit Sim Woo-jun for a single, but Choi In-ho and Moon Hyun-bin were retired before Kang Baek-ho doubled to right field. With runners on second and third and two outs, Noh Si-hwan was caught in a fly ball to right field, ending the game. NC, with 13 hits including two home runs, defeated Hanwha with all starters recording hits.
NC has gone 7-2 in nine games since September, rapidly narrowing the gap to fifth-place Doosan from eight games to just three. This was also made possible by Doosan's severe slump during the same period, where they managed only two wins and seven losses.
Coincidentally, starting from the 12th, NC will move to Jamsil to face Doosan in a two-game series. Although they have faced each other 11 times this season with a record of three wins and eight losses, showing a significant disadvantage, recent momentum suggests different results may be expected.
There is also the variable of the Asian Games. Doosan will lose their top two starting pitchers, Kwak Bin and Choi Min-seok, and batting ace Park Jun-soon, while NC will only miss shortstop Kim Ju-won for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. For Doosan, it is crucial to secure as many wins as possible before these players depart, as each win could narrow the gap by at least one game or widen it by up to five games. Thus, the upcoming two-game series against NC will draw the most attention.
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*This content was translated by AI.
