Fall baseball starts 0% Doosan trying to break through, 100% NC trying to protect

Postseason kicks off with wild-card game on Nov. 19
NC starts with one game in hand, Doosan has the starting resource advantage

The NC Dinos and Doosan Bears meet in the first game of Fall Baseball 2023. NC has a 100% chance, Doosan dreams of a ‘firsts’ miracle.

NC, which finished fourth in the regular season, and Doosan, which finished fifth, will play Game 1 of the wild-card deciding series at NC’s home stadium, Changwon NC Park, on September 19.

If history is any indication, NC is favored.

Since the introduction of the Wild Card Decision Game in 2015, the fourth-place team had a 100% chance of advancing to the semi-finals (best-of-five) where the third-place team awaits. Never before has a fifth-place team beaten a fourth-place team to advance to the Semifinals.

This is because the advantage given to the 4th place team cannot be ignored. The fourth-place team starts the wildcard round with one win and only needs one win or one draw to punch their ticket to the Semi-Po.

The fifth-place team, on the other hand, starts with one game in hand and must win two to advance to the Semi-Po.

There have only been two other times in the history of wildcard playoffs where the fifth-place team, which carries the psychological burden of “one loss and you’re out,” has managed to force a second game.

However, this time around, the atmosphere is a little different.

Facing zero percent odds, Doosan is confident in its starting advantage.

After clinching fifth place on the 16th, a day before the season finale, Doosan no longer has to fight for position.

Choi Seung-yong was initially scheduled to start against the SSG Landers on Sunday, but after the standings were finalized, the team changed the pitcher to Jang Won-jun. Choi was saved for the Wild Card deciding game. In addition, Brandon Waddell, who was brought in as a replacement during the season and has been exceptional with an 11-3 record and 2.49 ERA, is also available for the wild-card game.
The situation in the NC is different. They weren’t ranked until Game 17, the final game of the season, so they had to go all out to the end.

They sent out ace Eric Peddy on the 16th and Shin Min-hyuk on the 17th against the KIA Tigers, but lost both games, meaning they’ll start fall baseball in the Wild Card Game instead of the semifinals.

NC is a team without strong homegrown starters. If they lose game one, they won’t have much of a starting rotation for game two. To make matters worse, Peddy was hit in the right forearm by a hard-hit pitch in his last start of the season and is out for the foreseeable future.

In addition, star outfielder Park Gun-woo is not at full strength, having received an injection for discomfort in his right knee.

Of course, it doesn’t change the fact that NC can get a ticket to the semi-finals if they win the first game. Game 1 means a lot to NC.

NC will start Tanner Tully on the mound in Game 1. Doosan will counter with homegrown ace Kwak-Bin Kwak. 토토사이트