NC, led by head coach Kang Myung-ho, has concluded its fall baseball season. After finishing the regular season in fourth place, the team played nine games, including the semifinals (three wins) and the playoffs (two wins and three losses), starting with the wild card game against Doosan on March 19. While the team unfortunately failed to advance to the Korean Series, Shin Min-hyuk’s performance was one of the biggest gains.
A fifth-round pick in the 2018 NC Secondary Draft after graduating from Yatapgo, Shin made his first appearance with the first team in 2020, going 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA in 17 games. There was no sophomore jinx for Shin. In 2021, he went 9-6 with a 4.41 ERA, his best single-season record. After going 4-9 with a 4.56 ERA last year, he went 5-5 with a 3.98 ERA this season.굿모닝토토 주소
With the highly anticipated “homegrown ace” Koo Chang-mo on the disabled list, Shin Min-hyuk will take over the starting role in the fall. Shin’s role became even more crucial after the 20-win ace Eric Peddy was injured at the end of the regular season, leaving his postseason availability uncertain.
Shin Min-hyuk, who took the mound for the first game of the playoffs against SSG on March 22, pitched 5⅔ innings with four hits, one walk and three strikeouts. Although he didn’t get the win, the 4-3 victory would not have been possible without his performance.
“First, Shin Min-hyuk pitched very well,” said Kang Myung-ho after the game. Then, Kim Young-kyu, Ryu Jin-wook, and Lee Yong-chan all did their part.” “In the batting lineup, Kim Sung-wook hit a decisive home run. We were able to steal a couple bases and win the game.” Shin Min-hyuk’s name was the first to be mentioned, indicating that he had the most to do with the team’s victory.
Shin also started the second game of the playoffs against KT on March 31. He was matched up against KT’s foreign pitcher Wes Benjamin and pitched 6⅓ innings of one-hit ball with one walk and two strikeouts in a 3-2 win.
After sweeping the first and second games of the playoffs, manager Kang Myung-hyun said, “I didn’t expect Shin Min-hyuk to pitch so well. He’s definitely a big game player. Shin Min-hyuk definitely pitched well, but thanks to Kim Hyung-joon’s management and the way he led the pitchers, Shin Min-hyuk shined.”
NC, which was one win away from qualifying for the Korean Series after sweeping Games 1 and 2, dropped Games 3 and 4 to fall to 2-2. NC, which was struggling to find a starting pitcher for Game 5, chose Shin Min-hyuk instead of Pedi. Shin Min-hyuk, who had a return matchup with Benjamin on the 5th, did his job with 4⅓ innings of 3-hit ball with 1 strikeout and 2 runs allowed.
NC lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to KT, bringing the fall baseball season to a close. “I think Shin Min-hyuk will become a pitcher who develops to the next level through this fall baseball.” Manager Kang Myung-ho said this in an interview after the end of the fifth game.
With Koo Chang-mo about to enter the commercial world, NC was faced with the task of finding a homegrown ace. Shin Min-hyuk solved that task through the fall stage.
No Responses