It was literally chaos. This is the story of the LG Twins-NC Dinos game at NPark (Changwon NC Park) on the 27th.
On the 27th, Changwon NC Park hosted the final game of a three-game weekend series between LG and NC. The result was a 5-3 victory for NC. With the series sweep and three-game winning streak, NC has 55 wins, two ties, and 49 losses, and is firmly in fourth place. Leaders LG, on the other hand, suffered their third straight defeat, dropping their 41st game to 65 points (2 wins, 2 draws) and closing the gap on second-place KT Wiz (62 points, 2 draws, 47 losses) to 4.5 games.
The match also attracted a lot of attention for being very messy. First, umpire Yoon Sang-won, who served as the second base umpire in the Changwon LG-NC game on the 26th, was unable to avoid Park Gun-woo’s hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Under the rules of the game, if the ball touches the umpire before the fielder, it becomes an infield hit, and LG, which led 5-3 in the eighth inning, lost the game 5-7.
Detectives patrolling Changwon NC Park. Photo (Changwon) by Lee Lee-joo
Initially, Yoon was scheduled to officiate the game, but the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) umpire committee decided not to use him in order to prepare for any contingencies. Four detectives from the Masan East Police Station were also dispatched to patrol the stadium, creating an unusual scene from the start.
The game was also chaotic throughout. LG starter Lim Chan-kyu was ejected in the bottom of the first inning for delivering a 144-kilometer fastball that hit Park Gun-woo in the head with runners on first and third base. It was his ninth headshot ejection this season. Fortunately, Park immediately went to the hospital for a checkup and was diagnosed with nothing more than dizziness.
In the top of the third inning, NC head coach Kang In-hwa was ejected. The situation went like this. After giving up back-to-back singles to Park Hae-min and Hong Chang-ki to put runners on first and third, NC starting pitcher Choi Sung-young induced the next batter, Shin Min-jae, to hit a grounder to second base.
NC second baseman Park Min-woo, who caught it in reverse motion while stepping backward, threw the ball to first base, thinking it would be difficult to stop the rushing third baseman, Park Hae-min. This was to catch Hong Chang-ki, who had overrun. With that, Hong Chang-ki was out and the inning seemed to be over.
However, the umpires agreed and determined that Park Hae-min had crossed the plate before NC first baseman Do Tae-hoon caught the ball. Manager Kang Shin-ho requested a video review, but the call was not overturned.
Despite being aware of the rule that protesting the video review would result in ejection, Kang went out onto the field and loudly protested, which resulted in his ejection. It was the 11th managerial ejection this season, and the ninth for protesting a video review. Afterward, the NC coaching staff, including hitting coach Song Ji-won, continued to protest, and the game was suspended for more than five minutes.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, when NC was in control of the offense, another injury occurred. With runners on first and second base, Ahn Jung-yeol tried to bunt. LG third baseman Moon Bo-kyung caught the ball and threw it to shortstop Oh Ji-hwan, who was covering third base, and Oh Ji-hwan immediately threw the ball to first base to complete the double play. At this time, Ahn Jung-yeol, who was running to first base, felt a pain in his leg and was unable to run properly, and was eventually replaced by Kim Hyung-jun at the beginning of the fifth inning.
An NC official said at the time, “Ahn Jung-yeol was replaced due to right adductor discomfort. He is currently undergoing icing treatment.”
In the top of the eighth inning, when NC led 5-2, there was an ambiguous situation. After a bunt single by Park Hae-min, a walk by Hong Chang-ki and a fielder’s choice by Shin Min-jae, LG scored a run on a single to right by pinch-hitter Kim Hyun-soo with runners on first and second. Austin Dean followed with a grounder to third, but Shin was thrown out at home to put runners on first and second.
NC right-handed reliever Ryu Jin-wook, who was on the mound at the time, walked Oh Ji-hwan to load the bases. With runners on first and second, the ball was headed toward the third base LG dugout. The ball hit the chin in front of the dugout and soared into the air, where catcher Kim Hyung-joon was quick to catch it before it hit the ground.
If the ball had gone into the dugout, LG could have gained an extra base, but the umpires agreed and called it a double play with runners on second and third. LG manager Yeom Kyung-yup immediately came out and appealed, but the call was not overturned.
Ryu Jin-wook then gave up a walk to Oh Ji-hwan, prompting NC to bring in right-handed closer Lee Yong-chan early. After getting Moon Bo-kyung to ground out to second base, Yong-chan turned the bottom of the ninth into a three-hit shutout inning to preserve the 5-3 victory for NC.스포츠토토
The game between NC and LG on the 27th featured several scenes that are rarely seen once a year. Park Min-woo, who went 5-for-4 with three RBIs to lead NC to victory, said after the game, “The atmosphere on the field was a little cold. The players felt it too, so when the pitcher changed, the infielders gathered together and said, ‘It’s really bloody,'” he said. On the 27th, Changwon NC Park was a ‘chaos of chaos’.