"Let’s not dwell on it."
Lee Ho-jun, NC Dinos manager, shared his reflections and lessons learned after suffering a comeback loss in his debut game as a head coach and the season opener. NC led 2-1 against the Kia Tigers in the 2025 professional baseball season opener held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 22nd, but gave up 8 runs in the 8th inning, resulting in a crushing defeat. The first win was within reach, but the comeback loss turned it into nothing.
Starting pitcher Logan Allen delivered a strong performance, allowing only one run through six innings. With Park Gun-woo's 2-run double, NC was ahead 2-1, and the bullpen was activated starting from the 7th inning. The plan was to effectively target the opponent's starting pitcher James Nail after he exited, but the trusted bullpen collapsed. Kim Tae-kyung pitched well in the 7th, but in the 8th, Jeon Sa-min gave up 2 hits and 2 walks, allowing 4 runs. The following pitcher Kim Jae-yeol also gave up 4 runs on 4 hits, including one home run.
Ahead of the second game on the 23rd, the manager said, "I hoped to finish the 8th and 9th innings cleanly at 2-1. The Kia bats were fierce. It was difficult to decide whom to bring in. Jeon Sa-min was quite nervous. Last year he was in a chasing position. With the pitch approaching the Kia lineup, it was tough with the 9th, 1st, and 2nd batters following. If we had pitched well, it would have gone smoothly."
He continued, "Originally, I planned for Tae-kyung to pitch through the 8th for 2 innings. I told him, 'Let’s go for 2 innings after getting 2 outs.' But he gave up a double to Woo-sung, which increased the pitch count. If we had held Woo-sung, he would have gone through the 8th and I planned to hand over to Ryu Jin-wook. In the 8th, the first batter was the left-handed Choi Won-jun, and I was contemplating whether to use Kim Tae-hyun. I thought about bringing Sa-min in after one out, but Sa-min gave up a hit, resulting in a bad outcome."
He also expressed regrets regarding the pinch hitting. After taking the lead 2-1 in the 6th inning, with one out and the bases loaded, when Choi Ji-min came up, he used pinch hitter Cheon Jae-hwan. However, the result was a strikeout, and the next batter also struck out. Failing to add a crucial insurance run in the 6th led to the comeback loss.
The manager explained, "After going back to the lodge and reflecting on yesterday's game, I thought, 'Let’s not dwell on it.' This applied to the pinch hitting as well. During practice, I closely observed and Cheon Jae-hwan stood out to me; he was in great condition. Normally, I would have used Ho-cheol. I thought that practice was just practice. I made a mistake."
Finally, the manager expressed, "If we find ourselves in a winning situation again today, Sa-min will go out again. I decided at the start of the year to use Sa-min until the end (as a key pitcher). I have no regrets," showing his determination.
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