NC Dinos’ Stunning Comeback: How Bullpen Heroes Defeated Korean Monster Ryu Hyun-jin

Translation result. ▲ Manager Lee Ho-joon. ⓒ Kwak Hye-mi ▲ Ryu Jin-wook. ⓒ NC Dinos

DAEJEON, South Korea (SPOTV) — Facing the \”Korean Monster\” Ryu Hyun-jin of the Hanwha Eagles, NC’s starter failed to complete four innings and was ejected. Still, NC rallied for a comeback, riding a shutdown performance from its bullpen to extend its winning streak.

The NC Dinos defeated the Hanwha Eagles 7-3 on April 24 at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon in KBO League play.

NC carried a 2-0 lead until starter Curtis Taylor was tossed for a headshot with one out in the fourth inning. An error in the fifth allowed Hanwha to take the lead, but NC answered by plating five runs against Ryu Hyun-jin through the seventh to reclaim control of the game.

Six relievers — Bae Jae-hwan (1 1/3 innings, two unearned runs), Lim Jeong-ho (1/3 inning), Jeon Sa-min (1 inning), Lim Ji-min (1 inning), Kim Young-gyu (1 inning) and Ryu Jin-wook (1 inning) — combined to preserve the lead without allowing an earned run.

▲ Jeon Sa-min. ⓒ Kwak Hye-mi

After the game, Manager Lee praised the bullpen for limiting the damage after the early exit. \”Our relievers kept the opponent from doing too much and gave us a chance to come back,\” he said, noting their performance was the foundation for the comeback.

The offense flipped the script in the seventh. Trailing 2-3, NC scored three runs to take the lead: Cheon Jae-hwan opened the rally with a double, Kim Joo-won followed with a game-tying RBI single, a run came in on a wild pitch, and Matt Davidson added a fortunate RBI hit to make it 5-3. In the eighth, three hits and two walks led to five consecutive batters reaching and produced two more runs.

Lee said the lineup showed focus in the seventh and eighth innings and thanked the players for carrying the momentum from the previous day. He also expressed sincere appreciation to the fans who traveled to support the team.

▲ Kim Joo-won homered as the leadoff batter in the top of the first — his fourth of the season. ⓒ NC Dinosn