“Last place is confirmed.”

The professional baseball team NC Dinos confirmed its last-place finish in its inaugural exhibition game, finishing 10th. NC completed its exhibition schedule when the game against the LG Twins, scheduled for the 18th at Jamsil Stadium, was canceled due to heavy snowfall that began overnight.

NC recorded 2 wins and 6 losses, and regardless of the outcome of the only game played that day between Lotte and Kiwoom, the last-place finish in the exhibition was determined. After the cancellation of the game, NC manager Lee Ho-jun, in an interview with reporters, said, “Last place is confirmed,” with a smile.

Manager Lee noted while summarizing the exhibition games, “We experimented a lot, and this was a process for me, so while no one really wants to finish last, if we had done well to some degree, it might feel a bit better, but I don't think much of it. Is this the first time NC Dinos finished last in the exhibition games since its inception? Let’s see if we can set a record.”

NC previously shared 9th place in the exhibition games in 2018, making this the first time finishing 10th. As a rookie manager, Lee may not exactly feel pleased about the result, but he didn't mind finishing last too much since he had a plan and was testing players.

The manager explained, “We had to decide on the roster by testing players we wanted to use. If we wanted to win, we would have made all the players run. If the intention was to win from the exhibition games onwards, it would have been different. However, I was curious to see what these players would show in this situation, and I am satisfied with that.”

He added, “Now, I feel a bit more confident heading into the regular season. If the starting pitcher can go deep into the innings and the main players continue to play through the 9th, it seems promising. In that regard, I feel some confidence.”

Additionally, the manager expressed his confidence stating, “When it comes down to it, there's nothing particularly strong or weak; it all seems manageable. I felt that the outcome would depend on who is in better condition on the day.”

NC will face the defending champion Kia in its opening game. The team will then meet Samsung, last year's Korean Series runner-up, and regular season 3rd place LG in succession, presenting a challenging schedule that sees them face off against the 1st to 3rd place teams from last year.

NC's foreign pitchers Logan Allen and Riley Thompson are set to start in the opening series. For the three-game series against Samsung, Shin Min-hyeok, Choi Sung-young, and Mok Ji-hoon are expected to pitch. Veteran Lee Yong-chan, who transitioned from closer to starting pitcher this year, has recently experienced some discomfort in his left hamstring and will condition himself before determining his start order.

The manager singled out the development of backup players as a satisfactory aspect. He stated, "(Kim) Han-byeol was originally considered for the opening game, but another player, Tae-hun, showed a much better performance. It’s not that Han-byeol did poorly and was sent to the 2nd team; rather, Tae-hun performed better. Han Jae-hwan showed an excellent performance during the camp and maintained that while producing results. Si-won is definitely strong defensively. I was preparing for him to occasionally be a starter, but I am confident that as he gains more experience, he will become a more formidable hitter next year than this year."

Moreover, pitchers Shin Min-hyeok and Kim Tae-kyung, who underwent surgery last year, are quickly recovering and will join the starting rotation. The manager remarked, "Didn’t Tae-kyung pitch 17 scoreless innings against LG? When I was a hitting coach at LG, I remember I was unable to score even once off his pitches. In fact, yesterday, I intentionally tried to see if he still has it, and it didn't seem bad."

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