NC Kim Young-kyu in an interview before Game 3 of the semi-finals
Left-handed pitcher Kim Young-kyu (23), a stalwart of the NC Dinos' bullpen, has been stamping his name in the attendance book this fall.
Starting with the first game of the wild-card deciding series against the Doosan Bears, he pitched all three games of the semifinals against the SSG Landers (best-of-five).
The team won all three games, and Young-gyu Kim pitched 3⅓ innings of one-hit ball to earn a 2-1 record.
He single-handedly accounted for two of NC's three wins in fall baseball.
Kim, who returned to the team earlier this month after winning a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, says he's "never tired" of being on the mound.
"It's not just me, it's all of us," he said ahead of Game 3 of the Semifinals at Changwon NC Park on Friday. I think positively and do my best with my teammates, so luck will follow and the results will be good."
In addition to Kim, Ryu Jin-wook and Lee Yong-chan have started all three games in the NC bullpen this postseason.
Kim said, "We're covering each other well, so it's not a problem at all. We talk about throwing our best when we go out."
While the team tries to avoid back-to-back games as much as possible in the regular season, the concept of rest days becomes a distant memory in the short-season when everything is on the line.
Game 2 of the baseball semifinals between the NC Dinos and the SSG Landers at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on March 23. Kim Young-kyu, who was substituted in the seventh inning, is pitching.
Kim Young-kyu, who visited Changwon NC Park to see a trainer even on the 24th off day, will be in the bullpen for Game 3.
"I don't think about resting at all," he said, adding, "If I can go out, I'll do my best to pitch as long as they let me."
"People can want to rest. But it's hard for everyone, and I don't think I should be the only one, I just want to go out there and do well and win."
After finishing the regular season in fourth place, NC was labeled as an "underdog" (a team that is outclassed in a sporting event) entering fall baseball.
However, they took both the first and second games of the Semi-Po in Incheon, pushing SSG to the brink.
"The players didn't think we were weak," says Kim Young-gyu. We thought that if we played well as we prepared, our chances would surely come. We had that kind of faith, and it paid off," said Kim encouragingly.
With everything on fire in fall baseball, Kim has also been invited to the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) in Tokyo, Japan, next month.
"If they call me, I'll be honored, and I'll do my best to throw," he said. 슬롯
