'Why LG of all teams?' The monster pitcher with 60 MLB wins confirmed for his Korean debut — why did the manager not push too hard in the Doosan game?

*This content was translated by AI.

The NC Dinos, aiming to replicate last season's miracle, concluded their weekend two-game series against the Doosan Bears with one win and one loss.

The manager showed no signs of overexertion. What will NC look like in the remaining games? Most importantly, a major boost comes from the arrival of foreign pitcher Mike Cleavinger (34). It just so happens that LG Twins, who are busy heading elsewhere, will face Cleavinger first.

On the 13th afternoon, NC lost 2-9 to Doosan in an away regular-season game at Seoul Jamsil Baseball Stadium as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

With this loss, NC ended its four-game winning streak with a record of 59 wins, 61 losses, and 2 ties. NC maintained its sixth-place position.

Had NC won today's game, they could have narrowed the gap to fifth-place Doosan (64-60-4) by one game. However, the loss widened the gap to three games.

Nevertheless, manager Lee Ho-jun made it clear before the two-game series against Doosan that he would not overexert himself. On the 12th, ahead of the Jamsil Doosan game, he said, "It's no lie; just because our opponent is Doosan doesn't mean we must win at all costs. We have more games to play in the remaining schedule, so honestly, I think a one-win-one-loss result isn't bad."

He continued, "There are still other games left. If we overexert ourselves now and ruin the rest of the schedule, that would be a much bigger blow. For now, we plan to proceed strictly according to natural order. There's no intention to push too hard just because the opponent is Doosan. If we get greedy and lose, it will really hurt team morale."

And as manager Lee hoped, NC concluded the two-game series against Doosan with one win and one loss. On the 12th game, they secured a 10-9 victory led by domestic ace Koo Chang-mo. However, in the 13th game, Asian quota pitcher Natsuki Toda collapsed early, pitching 2⅔ innings while allowing six hits (including two home runs), issuing two walks, striking out two batters, and surrendering seven earned runs. Unable to make a significant impact, they suffered the loss.

There is still plenty of opportunity. NC has 22 games remaining, while Doosan has 16 left. NC must play six more games than Doosan. Especially notable is that there are still three head-to-head matchups between the two teams remaining. The two teams will face each other in a three-game series at Jamsil from the 29th through October 1st.

Kim Hwi-jip also said after the 12th game, "Actually, there are still many games left. I tried not to be conscious of facing Doosan, but it was unavoidable to feel nervous. Doosan feels the same way, and everyone else likely does too. Since there are so many games to play, this two-game series won't carry much significance."

He added, "While having more remaining games might seem advantageous compared to Doosan, there are still many games left. Things can't stay good forever, so I believe there will be another fluctuation in momentum."

Now, NC is preparing for an all-out effort in the remaining season. Most importantly, a reinforcement of thousands joins them. The foreign pitcher Cleavinger is that key figure.

He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, and Chicago White Sox. Appearing in 164 games (142 starts), he recorded 60 wins, 44 losses, 809⅔ innings pitched, 822 strikeouts, and a 3.55 ERA — a pitcher with a proven reputation.

On the 13th, manager Lee discussed Cleavinger's future utilization: "He arrives tonight on the 13th. On the 14th, he plans to do light catchball sessions. Then on the 15th, he will watch a game. He is scheduled to start in the 16th game against Changwon LG Twins. For now, he can throw around 80 pitches. Before coming to Korea, he reportedly did bullpen pitching once, and we scheduled his timeline based on that. He himself said there's no problem with starting on the 16th. The key factor is adjusting to the time difference. That part gives me a little concern, but for now, I'm looking forward to seeing him pitch on the 16th," expressing his expectations.

NC's season is not over yet. What will they show in the remaining 22 games?

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*This content was translated by AI.