Determination brought the first victory.

The NC Dinos successfully avenged themselves by defeating the Kia Tigers 5-4 in a 2025 Korean professional baseball game held at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on the 23rd. In the opening match the previous day, they had been ahead 2-1 but gave up 8 runs in the 8th inning, resulting in a 9-2 loss. They redeemed themselves that day, and manager Lee Ho-jun received his first win in just his second game in charge.

The bullpen's collapse the previous day had been the cause of the defeat. While leading 2-1, Taekyung Kim pitched flawlessly in the 7th inning without allowing any runs and handed off the baton to Jae-min Jeon in the 8th. However, after allowing a hit and a walk, he gave up a timely hit to right-center and allowed the game to tie, followed by another walk before being relieved. The incoming Jae-yeol Kim allowed a double to Hyung-woo Choi, resulting in a lead change. Additionally, Sun-bin Kim hit a 2-run timely hit, and Jun-soo Han hit a 3-run homer.

In an instant, the bullpen gave up 8 runs. Jeon was chosen for the winning team after previously being on the chasing team until last year and couldn't overcome the pressure of his first appearance. Due to nerves and pressure, his control was off. The same was true for Jae-yeol Kim, who struggled with his pitching in his first outing and was overwhelmed by the powerful cohesion of the Kia lineup, resulting in a significant number of runs allowed.

Manager Lee Ho-jun was not overly concerned. Before the game that day, he said, "Yesterday, Jae-min was very nervous. Until last year, he mostly played as a chaser. The Kia lineup has a narrow margin, with the 9th, 1st, and 2nd batting order, so he was nervous. I saw him at breakfast this morning, and fortunately, he seemed fine. If we get a lead today, Jae-min will go out again. He is a player we need to rely on anyway" demonstrating his determination.

In reality, the bullpen operated more cohesively than the previous day. Starter Riley Thompson allowed 3 runs until one out in the 6th inning, keeping the game competitive. Following him, the sidearm pitcher Min-kyu Kim pitched brilliantly, allowing only 1 hit with 1 strikeout and no runs in one inning. Left-hander Tae-hyun Kim also managed to get Won-jun Choi out in a one-point appearance, and Joo-hwan Son handled Ki-young Na with a fly out to third.

As promised, Manager Lee called Jae-min to the mound in the 8th inning. He struck out Wisdom on three pitches and used a forkball to get Hyung-woo Choi to swing and miss. The most challenging switch-hitter, Sun-bin Kim, handled the first pitch with a two-seam fastball, resulting in a fly out to right field. Jae-min responded to the manager with a perfect inning, recovering from the previous day's 4-run struggle.

New closer Jin-wook Ryu allowed a solo home run to Jun-soo Han in the 9th inning with one out, reducing the lead to one run, but he secured the victory by getting the next two batters out with a ground ball and a strikeout. The young and new winning team members rewarded the manager who believed in them with a splendid first win. Min-kyu Kim, Tae-hyun Kim, Joo-hwan Son, and Jae-min all earned their first holds. They even set a new record for the most holds by a team in a single KBO game. Jin-wook Ryu also achieved a save after 1,304 days.

Manager Lee Ho-jun noted, "The pitchers overcame difficult situations and gained a lot. All the pitchers who appeared today fulfilled their roles. Riley, Min-kyu, Joo-hwan, Tae-hyun, Jae-min, and Jin-wook all showed confidence. This is not just my first win, but our first win of the 25 season. I will run forward with the meaning of our first victory. I thank the fans who came a long way to support us."

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