Autumn baseball begins today! 3:0→3:5→10:6→10:9 'Junkawa No. 5 Decider' fierce battle! NC with four straight wins, defeats Doosan to catch up in the '2G gap' [Jamsil On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

NC Dinos subdued Doosan Bears and successfully seized the initiative in the so-called 'Junka Wild Card Decider' series.

On the 12th, NC secured a 10-9 victory over Doosan in an away game of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season held at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

With this win, NC, now on a four-game winning streak, recorded 59 wins, 60 losses, and 2 ties, maintaining sole possession of sixth place in the league. Meanwhile, Doosan posted 63 wins, 60 losses, and 4 ties, holding sole fifth place in the standings.

As a result, the gap between the two teams narrowed from three games to two games.

For this game, NC set its starting lineup as follows: Kim Ju-won (shortstop), Kwon Hee-dong (left fielder), Blaine (first baseman), Kim Hwi-jip (third baseman), Park Geon-woo (right fielder), Lee Woo-seong (designated hitter), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), Cheon Jae-hwan (center fielder), and Kim Han-byul (second baseman). Starting pitcher was Koo Chang-mo.

The lineup consisted entirely of right-handed batters. Even 'Veteran' Park Min-woo was omitted from the starting roster. Ahead of the game, NC manager Lee Ho-jun explained to reporters the reasoning behind excluding Park Min-woo: "He told me directly that he can't hit against Jacklog at all. I experienced this myself during my playing days; there are definitely pitchers who are exceptionally difficult to face. His batting form is currently good, so sending him out forcibly could disrupt his balance. I believe it's better for him to enter the game in the later innings after the opposing starter has been replaced. The fact that a player came to me and insisted on this shows just how tough an opponent he faces."

He continued, "Moreover, he has been playing full-time continuously recently. So today I told him to take a day off. In fact, we had planned to use him as the designated hitter yesterday, but after playing until yesterday, he asked to rest today. His fatigue has accumulated. Taking a break now means we'll have a reliable pinch-hitting option remaining when the opposing pitcher is changed in the later innings, which could actually be more beneficial."

Doosan constructed its starting batting order as follows: Park Chan-ho (shortstop), Ahn Jae-seok (third baseman), Park Jun-soon (second baseman), Yang Eui-ji (catcher), Kim Min-seok (left fielder), Severino (designated hitter), Yang Seok-hwan (first baseman), Jo Su-haeng (center fielder), and Kim Daehun (right fielder). Starting pitcher was Jacklog.

Doosan manager Kim Won-hyeong met with reporters ahead of the game regarding the matchup against NC: "Our recent performance has dipped somewhat, putting us in a chasing position, so both the players and I have many concerns. The opponent is on an upswing, while our team's momentum has somewhat waned. However, in baseball, we can always create differences that turn the tide at any moment." He added, "Even if the opponent is strong, if we can convert this first game into a victory alongside our performance, our players' confidence will rise significantly. That is why I am determined to secure a win today."

NC struck early in the first inning, silencing Doosan's momentum. After one out, Kwon Hee-dong hit a single to right field, and Blaine followed with a double to center field, creating opportunities at first and second base. Then Kim Hwi-jip launched a three-run home run over the left-field wall against Jacklog.

Doosan immediately responded in the bottom of the first inning with five runs, overturning the score. After one out, Ahn Jae-seok reached base on a pitcher's throwing error, followed by Park Jun-soon drawing a walk after a nine-pitch battle. Then, with two outs, Kim Min-seok hit an RBI double to left-center field, Severino singled up the middle, Yang Seok-hwan hit an RBI double that went past the third baseman into left field, and Jo Su-haeng delivered an RBI triple scoring two runs, bringing the score to 5-3.

Doosan added another run in the second inning. Leadoff batter Park Chan-ho reached base with a double to left-center field. Later, after two outs, Yang Eui-ji hit an RBI single to left-center field, making the score 6-3.

NC, trailing continuously thereafter, tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs, Kwon Hee-dong singled to left field and Blaine doubled to right field, creating opportunities at first and third base. Kim Hwi-jip then hit an RBI double to left-center field scoring two runs, followed by Park Geon-woo hitting an RBI double to tie the game.

In the top of the sixth inning, NC scored four runs to take a 10-6 lead. With Jacklog replaced by Kim Jeong-woo, Kim Hyung-jun drew a walk and was substituted for by pinch runner Oh Tae-yang. Cheon Jae-hwan then drew a walk, creating opportunities at first and second base. During Kim Han-byul's at-bat, pinch hitter Park Min-woo entered the game. Doosan replaced pitcher Kim Jeong-woo with Takada.

Against Takada, Park Min-woo hit an RBI single to right field. When Kim Ju-won grounded out to shortstop, Cheon Jae-hwan scored from third base. This was not the end. In the next at-bat, Kwon Hee-dong hit a two-run home run over the left-field wall, extending the lead to 10-6.

Doosan appeared to gain momentum in the bottom of the sixth inning but was halted by a critical baserunning error. Leadoff batter Park Chan-ho drew a walk, followed by Ahn Jae-seok hitting a single to right field. However, while Park Chan-ho advanced to third base, Ahn Jae-seok attempted to reach second base but failed to return safely to first, resulting in an out. The situation changed from bases loaded with no outs to bases loaded with one out. When Ba Jun-soon hit a deep infield single to shortstop, Park Chan-ho scored from third base, making it 10-7, but that was the only run of the inning. Yang Eui-ji drew a walk, but Kim Min-seok struck out and Severino flew out to left field, ending the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Doosan scored again, sending Jamsil Stadium into a frenzy of excitement. With two outs and bases loaded, after a 3-2 full count, Severino hit an RBI double that just cleared the shortstop's knee, scoring two runs. The score narrowed to 10-9, one run apart. Kim Taek-yeon held off NC's offense in the top of the ninth inning. In the bottom of the ninth, Doosan launched their final attack. NC brought in Lee Yong-jun and ultimately secured the victory with three consecutive outs.

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*This content was translated by AI.