‘Song Myung-ki vs. Kim Kwang-hyun’ Shin Min-hyuk sets the tone for NC, but second-round starting lineup is unbalanced
The starting lineup for Game 2 of the Semi-Playoffs (Semi-PO) is also unbalanced. SSG will be starting their homegrown ace Kim Kwang-hyun, while NC will have their ace Eric Peddie postponed once again. NC has picked Song Myung-ki to start Game 2 against Kim Kwang-hyun.
Game 1 of the Semi-Po was a reversal. NC took on Loenis Elias with Shin Min-hyuk. In his first postseason appearance, Shin got the job done with 5.2 scoreless innings. SSG’s Elias took a scoreless streak into the seventh inning before giving up a two-run homer to pinch-hitter Kim Sung-wook in the eighth. NC defeated SSG, 4-3, to take a valuable first game.
Historically, the team that wins Game 1 of a Semi-Po series has an 87.5% chance of advancing to the playoffs. In 32 Semi-Pros, 28 times the team that won Game 1 went on to win the series. In the 10-team format since 2015, the winner of Game 1 has a 100% chance of winning the series.
Game 2 of the Semifinals has similar starters to Game 1. NC announced Song Myung-ki as the starter for Game 2 instead of their ace Pedi. After Game 1, NC head coach Kang Myung-hwa said, “Song Myung-ki will start tomorrow,” adding, “Pedi threw 19 bullpen pitches today. Right now, he’s 90% recovered, but he expressed some anxiety, so I think tomorrow will be difficult. We’ll see how it goes.”
Song is 4-9 with a 4.92 ERA this season. He hasn’t had much postseason experience, though he did pitch six scoreless innings in two games in the 2020 Korean Series as a starter and middle reliever. In four games against SSG this season, he has a 3.18 ERA.토토사이트
If Song Myung-ki can pull off a Shin Min-hyuk-like turnaround and Pedi starts in Game 3, NC could be looking at a series sweep. Conversely, if Song Myung-gi struggles, the opposition will have a chance to rally. The bad luck of Pedi being hit by a pitch in his last start of the season is shaking up the NC starting rotation in the postseason.
Kim Kwang-hyun is a veteran who has seen it all. He is 9-8 with a 3.52 ERA this season, including a 3.31 ERA in three NC games. He has 21 career postseason starts. In 90.2 innings pitched in the postseason, he is 4-3 with a 3.38 ERA and two saves.
SSG starting pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun pitches against Doosan during the 2023 KBO League game at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Oct. 17. Oct. 17, 2023. Literature | Choi Seung-seop thunder@sportsseoul.com
It’s no exaggeration to say that Kim Kwang-hyun is the future of baseball in Incheon. He won the 2007 Korean Series, and that’s when Incheon baseball’s heyday began. SSG aims to overturn the odds with the franchise’s best pitcher, Kim Kwang-hyun.
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