Dinos show signs of fatigue as postseason winning streak ends
NC Dinos reliever Kim Young-kyu throws a pitch during the top of the seventh inning of Game 3 in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason against the KT Wiz at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 2. Yonhap
All good things must come to an end, even a record-tying winning streak in the Korean baseball postseason.
The NC Dinos had their nine-game postseason winning streak snapped Thursday, as the KT Wiz blanked them 3-0 in Game 3 of the second-round action in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
The Dinos had won the past nine postseason games in a row, dating to their previous postseason trip in 2020. However, it's not so much the loss itself that is concerning for the Dinos; it's the way they lost that should raise a red flag.
The Dinos had five singles in Thursday's loss, as the bats have cooled off after a hot start to the postseason.
NC Dinos reliever Kim Young-kyu leaves the mound during the top of the seventh inning of Game 3 in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason against the KT Wiz at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 2. Yonhap
They entered this series all guns blazing, having scored 32 runs in their first four postseason games. Then in Game 1 against the Wiz, the Dinos scored nine runs on 13 hits.
Some warning signs popped up during Game 2. Though the Dinos won the game 3-2, they were outhit by 6-5. And after Park Kun-woo's one-out single in the third inning, they didn't have another hit until Park himself hit a double with two outs in the eighth.
And then came the shutout loss Friday. The Dinos have now gone scoreless in their past 15 innings.
Prior to Game 3, Dinos manager Kang In-kwon expressed concerns that some hitters that had swung the bat well earlier in the postseason were cooling off. Kang also said it was about time that hitters who started out slowly in this series, including cleanup Jason Martin, stepped up.
NC Dinos manager Kang In-kwon watches his team play the KT Wiz in Game 3 in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 2. Yonhap
Martin, though, failed to come through. After going 0-for-4 Thursday, he is now 0-for-12 in this series.
"Honestly, our guys are exhausted. Playing in these high-stakes games has taken a huge mental toll," Kang said. "There's only so much you can do to stay locked in. At least we had one day off after the first two games. I could see that the guys looked a bit better than before."
On the mound, key relievers Kim Young-kyu and Ryu Jin-wook haven't been as effective as they were earlier in the postseason.
Kim, the lefty setup man, was voted the MVP of the first round after tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the SSG Landers. But the 23-year-old has lost some zip on his fastball. He wasn't available for Game 2 on Tuesday and allowed a home run in Game 3 on Thursday as his fastball velocity dipped noticeably.
Park Kun-woo of the NC Dinos strikes out against the KT Wiz during Game 3 in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Nov. 2. Yonhap
Ryu, the first right-hander out of the bullpen when the Dinos are leading, was charged with two runs on a hit and a walk in one inning in Game 2.
On Kim's recent struggles, Kang said: "He is not injured. It's just that he's running on fumes, and he hasn't been able to get the velocity back up. We're going to have to monitor his situation." (Yonhap)