Head coach Kang In-kwon, who leads the NC Dinos, made a major change in the first-team entry ahead of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League Samsung Lions match at Changwon NC Park on the 17th.
Ryu Yong-chan, who finished poorly with 27.00 ERA in August, pitcher Mok Ji-hoon and Choi Sung-young, and outfielder Song Seung-hwan have been eliminated. Instead, Kim Jae-yeol and Han Jae-seung, pitcher Song Myung-ki, and outfielder Choi Jeong-won were listed in the first division entry.
\It is good that Kim Jae-yeol and Han Jae-seung, a must-win group, came up, but it is regrettable that Lee Yong-chan went down. Except for those who were on the injured list from May 23 to June 1, this season’s first first-team entry is excluded.안전놀이터
Lee has not been strong lately. As mentioned above, his ERA in August is a whopping 27.00.
He was sluggish in the match against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on August 1, with two hits, one homer, one strikeout, and three runs in 0.1 innings. He then blocked the match against the Changwon KT Wiz on the 2nd and the Busan Lotte Giants on the 7th without allowing a run, but the next two games were a problem.
At the game against the LG Twins in Jamsil on Aug. 11, his team took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead. He grounded out leadoff hitter Shin Min-jae to the second base, but Austin Dean hit a solo homer. Lee Yong-chan, who allowed a double to Moon Bo-kyung, then struck out Oh Ji-hwan with a swing and miss, and seemed to earn a save, but gave up a walk to Kim Hyun-soo, and bowed his head to Park Dong-won with a finishing two-run double.
In the match against Samsung in Changwon on Aug. 16, his team came out in the top of the ninth inning, trailing 3-4. The NC bench calculated that he would try to catch up in the bottom of the ninth inning after allowing no run. Again, he passed leadoff hitter Kim Heon-gon to fly ball to right field, but allowed a walk to Kim Ji-chan and a hit to Kim Hyun-jun, followed by an RBI double to Koo Ja-wook and a groundout RBI to Kang Min-ho. Later, when Kim Young-woong had a hit to the midfield, he also homered to Koo Ja-wook. In the end, Lee failed to complete the inning again this time, and was replaced by Bae Jae-hwan.
Lee Yong-chan, who wore the NC uniform in 2021, had a 2.19 ERA with one win and three losses and 16 saves and three holds in 39 games in the 2021 season, and a 2.08 ERA with three wins and three losses and 22 saves in 50 games in the 2022 season. However, he was sluggish last season with four wins, four losses and a 4.13 ERA in 60 games.
He did not have a bad first half of this season. He displayed good performance in 39 games by posting three wins, five losses, 14 saves and two holds and an earned run average of 2.77. However, his earned run average has been sluggish in the second half with two losses and two saves and 11.42. He displayed three wins, seven losses and 16 saves and two holds and an earned run average of 4.34 in 50 games this season. The reality is that he has failed to trust him.
Coach Kang In-kwon said, “I feel sad and I think I’m also in pain. I feel sorry for my juniors, too. I had an interview with them and they were having a hard time on their own. I thought it would be better to adjust the entry.”
“You’ll see it in 10 days. You have to find peace of mind. He tried to do whatever he could. I had a lot of worries because I couldn’t get the results of the game when I was in good times and routines. I decided it would be better to give him a break.”
Lee Yong-chan made his debut by joining the Doosan Bears as the first designated player in the 2007 rookie draft. He is a veteran with 64 wins, 67 losses, 173 saves, and a 3.75 ERA in the first division. He has made five 20 saves, and is challenging his 20 saves for the third consecutive year this season.
The NC Dinosaurs aim for fall baseball. They need veteran Lee Yong-chan’s strength. Will he be a big help to their team after regaining stability.