“All of our players are MVPs (Most Valuable Player).”
The NC is backed by a young mound that has stepped up to the plate. In particular, left-hander Young-gun Kim (23) has been outstanding. He was the star of the show in the semi-playoffs, pitching 3.2 scoreless innings in three games and earning a 1-2 record. Kim Young-kyu, still carrying the “golden” aura from the Hangzhou Asian Games, is coloring NC’s fall baseball.
NC won 7-6 against SSG in the third game of the 2023 KBO Semifinals at Changwon NC Park on Nov. 25. With the win, NC advanced to the PO with a three-game upset over SSG. NC’s eyes now turn to Suwon, where they will take on KT.주소
In NC’s fall baseball this year, Kim Young-gyu appeared in all games and pitched a no-hitter to help the team win. In the Wild Card (WC) game against Doosan, he pitched a one-hit shutout to win the game. Furthermore, he dominated the fall with a 1.1-inning perfect game in Game 1 of the Semifinals, a 1.1-inning no-hitter in Game 2 on the 23rd, and a 1.1-inning no-hitter in Game 3 on the 25th. This earned him Semi-Po MVP honors. He had every reason to be tired, but he held his own on the mound, even with a one-run deficit.
“I’m very happy because I’m doing well, the team is winning, and the fans like me a lot,” Kim said after the Game 3 victory. “It was difficult to face the other team’s strongest hitter with a one-run lead, but I pitched confidently, which led to a good result. I think it was more about focusing on one batter and one hitter than throwing a lot of innings.”
NC left-handed bullpen Kim Young-kyu pitches after the second out of the fifth inning of the third semifinal game of the 2023 baseball semifinals between the NC Dinos and SSG Landers at Changwon NC Park on Friday.Changwon | Kang Young-jo Reporter kanjo@sportsseoul.com
It is not common for a bullpen pitcher to win the series MVP. It’s been eight years since Lee Hyun-seung (Doosan) won the MVP in the semifinals in 2015. It was a good motivation for other bullpen pitchers.
Kim Young-gyu said, “I didn’t expect to win the Semi-Po MVP at all. I didn’t expect it because there are players who perform well in every game.” “Honestly, I don’t think I was the MVP. “Honestly, I don’t think I’m the only MVP because everyone on the team worked hard together. I just think that I was really lucky to receive it as a representative,” he said encouragingly.
In the regular season this year, Kim went 2-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 63 games and 61.2 innings pitched with 24 holds. Here he is in the fall of NC with the ‘golden’ energy he received from Hangzhou AG.
“Even though I’m physically tired, I try to stay positive and just think, ‘I want to go out there and do well and win quickly.’ “Now I’m thinking that I have to help the team win a lot, and that’s leading to good pitching,” he said. “(Playing in the Asian Games) was a really good experience. I didn’t play many games, but there was pressure and I was nervous, but looking back, I think that experience was a good support.”
Now, Kim’s eyes are set on the POs. In six games against KT this season in the regular season, he went 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in five innings pitched, three runs (two earned), and one loss. That’s not a bad record. Even better, his no-hitter and perfect game this fall shouldn’t be a problem.
“Our team won three games, so we had some time left. During that time, I will prepare well and show better pitching in the PO.”
