he top 3 of SSG, LG, and Lotte, which lasted for two months after the opening, was broken. NC dug into that gap.

Until the 11th, SSG leads with 35 wins, 21 losses and 1 draw, and LG is in second place with 34 wins, 23 losses and 2 draws. However, the third place is NC, not Lotte. With 31 wins and 24 losses, they approached SSG by 3.5 games and LG by 2 games. They swept 3 consecutive away matches against LG on the 2nd to 4th, and also swept 3 home matches against SSG on the 9th to 11th. This was crucial. 7 wins and 3 losses in 10 games, including the last 5 wins.메이저놀이터

Lotte fell to fourth place. They have stagnated with 3 wins and 7 losses in the last 10 matches. 4th place with 30 wins and 24 losses. Of course, since they are only 0.5 games behind NC, the rankings could be overturned again right away. What is clear is that the peaceful (?) top 3 structure was broken as NC threatened the top 3.

NC was classified as mid-lower this season. After the combined championship in 2020, the ups and downs were severe. It was also a club that hit the Corona 19 drinking wave. In the recent two free agent markets, Na Seong-beom (KIA) and Yang Eui-ji (Doosan) exited one after another. Of course, there were recruits from outside the FA, but S-class stars are the pillars of the team. There are no substitutes for them.

Here, with the opening, in fact, foreign hitter Jason Martin and foreign pitcher Taylor Widener could not be used. Veteran Park Seok-min left the team due to an injury in mid-April. Local ace Gu Chang-mo also suffered minor injuries twice. Gu Chang-mo is not even at this point. Finisher Lee Yong-chan suffered from sluggish performance, the WBC drinking incident, and second baseman Park Min-woo suffered from minor injuries.

Nevertheless, performance has steadily improved since mid-May. First of all, Martin, Widener, and Park Seok-min returned. Martin had a lot of ups and downs before and after his return, but he flew with a batting average of 0.391 in six games last week. Widener has an ups and downs, but as a result, he fills the void of Goo Chang-mo to some extent.

In the starting lineup, ace Eric Peddy will run the MVP race. Best pitcher this season. The resurrection of Lee Jae-hak was also a great help. Although he has been slowing down recently, Lee Yong-jun also performed better than expected. Choi Seong-young also plays an active role, going back and forth between selection and long relief. In the bullpen, Lim Jeong-ho, Ryu Jin-wook, Kim Jin-ho, and Kim Young-kyu performed better than expected.

On the other line, the recent performance of captain Son A-seop is impressive. He was good with a batting average of 0.444 in five games last week. Do Tae-hoon and Seo Ho-cheol turned and blocked all positions in the infield except shortstop with performances that exceeded expectations. In the outfield, Cheon Jae-hwan and Kwon Hee-dong made up for the sluggishness and injuries of the main players.

In addition, 21-year-old switch hitter shortstop Kim Joo-won’s full-time challenge is cruising. Transfer catcher Park Se-hyeok also missed some time due to an injury, but he is doing well in offense and defense. In the end, the power of the team batting average (0.267) and team ERA (ERA) 1st (3.19) did not lie and raised the team to 3rd place.

NC has traditionally performed well in a season without great expectations. Even in the 2020 combined championship, not many people expected it before the opening. It felt like the unique sticky color had disappeared over the past two years, but it has been revived with the appointment of director Kang In-kwon.

NC is now on the test bed in earnest. Although he showed formidable potential by sweeping SSG and LG recently, he also benefited from the downward trend of SSG and LG’s lineup. In the end, there is a high possibility that the two teams will reorganize at some point and come up. It is certain that Lotte has also improved. The middle-ranking KIA is also likely to gain strength from July when injured and sluggish players return. The general theory is that Kiwoom and KT, which are currently in the lower ranks, are not teams that will collapse as they are.

Depending on whether NC completely settles in the top ranks based on the recent rise or falls back to the middle ranks, the league game in the middle of the season may change drastically. Still, if you compare objective power, it is true that it is inferior to LG and SSG. We need to watch the longer interval. This week’s opponents are mid-level Doosan and KIA.