NC without Eric Feddy and without Shin Min-hyuk could not be guaranteed to advance to the playoffs. Shin Min-hyuk started in the first game of the semi-playoff match against SSG Landers on the 22nd and pitched 5⅔ innings without allowing a run, helping the team win 4-3. Among NC’s three semi-playoff games, this was the only game in which the starting pitcher lasted more than 5 innings.
This game was Shin Min-hyuk’s first postseason appearance since his debut. In fact, looking only at his regular season performance, Shin Min-hyuk was in a position where he could not be guaranteed a spot in the postseason starting rotation. Shin Min-hyuk mainly took on starting duties this year, but appeared as a relief pitcher in five games.
He recorded 5 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 3.98 in 29 games, but it was a somewhat disappointing regular season. He has consistently remained in the first team, and although his earned run average is the lowest since his debut, he has not made as strong an impression as in 2021 when he filled regulation innings. Two years ago, Shin Min-hyuk recorded 9 wins, 6 losses, and an average ERA of 4.41 in 30 games. He became a regulation innings pitcher in his first full season, pitching 145 innings.
Shin Min-hyuk, who was at a crossroads, dramatically joined the starting rotation thanks to his scoreless pitching in the final game of the regular season ahead of the postseason. On the 17th, against KIA, he recorded 5 scoreless innings and received a high score in ‘recent performance’.
It was an even more dramatic turnaround because in the previous four games, from the game against Doosan on September 24th to the game against Doosan on October 12th, the team performed poorly, allowing 12 runs in 14 innings.
Shin Min-hyuk’s ERA soared from 3.67 to 4.15 due to these four poor games. However, thanks to 5 scoreless innings on the 17th, he was able to finish the season with an ERA in the 3-point range for the first time since his debut.
Still, the starting job for the first game of a short-term game could have been a gamble for the bench. However, Shin Min-hyuk hit the jackpot by allowing no runs in 5⅔ innings. Now Shin Min-hyuk has become an indispensable member of the NC starting lineup. Ahead of the first game of the playoffs, Coach Kang In-kwon announced in advance that he had formed a starting rotation with Shin Min-hyuk in the second game and Tanner Turley in the third game.
Ahead of the game on the 30th, Shin Min-hyuk said about his feelings about his second fall baseball appearance, “I’m not really nervous. The manager thinks I’ll be the starting pitcher for the second game, so I think I’ll have to work hard with anticipation. The news about his second game starting pitcher came from Jun. “I heard about it through the coach when I started training again after the playoffs,” he said.
Looking back at the first game of the semi-playoffs, he said, “It was a dream-like game. I felt good because I felt like I played the game I wanted, and I learned a lot from that game. I learned a lot about control and how to manage the game, and I think my pitching tempo has improved a lot.” revealed.
Regarding technical changes, “I tried to pay attention to my stepping foot the same way as in the regular season, and when I tried to keep my shoulder from opening, my breaking ball curved more powerfully. My ball control also got better. I prepared using my last appearance in the regular season (against KIA) as an opportunity, and I got better. “I was able to throw with confidence,” he explained.
Another reason why his good performance in the first game of the semi-playoffs was surprising is because of his record against SSG. Shin Min-hyuk appeared four times against SSG this year, with no wins or losses and an ERA of only 6.57. He looked back and said, “It was bad against SSG during the regular season. So I thought a lot about how I would throw. Rather, I think I got good results because I relaxed and threw with all my strength, thinking that it was my first postseason.”
This opponent KT is familiar. Shin Min-hyuk appeared in the most 5 games against KT this year and pitched 24⅓ innings. He performed well compared to his overall season performance with 2 wins, 2 losses, and an ERA of 3.70. He said, “KT has a lot of right-handed hitters, so I think we need to use change-ups more and compete with the body more. First of all, we need to analyze our power well. I prepared well,” and added, “I watched videos of KT hitters and watched a lot of games. I played a lot against Kt this year. “I studied a lot while watching all of those games,” he said.
As the semi-playoffs ended in three games, I got enough rest. Shin Min-hyuk said, “I rested four days after the semi-playoffs, and after the game I pitched (second game of the semi-playoffs on the 23rd), I went out in 8 days. I have fully recovered my stamina. My body is in great shape and I am well prepared.”
Following his appearance at SSG Landers Field on the 23rd, he will now take the mound at KT Wiz Park. He was in charge of the fall baseball away games one after another, and Shin Min-hyuk unexpectedly said, “I like away games more.” It’s not the atmosphere, but the difference in mounds.메이저놀이터
Shin Min-hyuk said, “It’s because of the height of the mound. NC Park’s mound is a little low. I feel like my change-up drops less. It’s good because I can drop my change-up well on the mound at the away stadium. I’ve said that a lot to Coach Kim Soo-kyung. NC Park is also high. “It’s nice to lose, but I can’t do that just for the sake of myself,” he said, laughing.
I’m not nervous about this game either, and I’m going to enjoy the fall baseball atmosphere to the fullest. Shin Min-hyuk looked forward to the second game, saying, “The atmosphere of fall baseball is really good, and it’s fun and even more exciting because it’s my first time playing fall baseball.”