In 29 postseason games, Kim is batting .321
Kim Joo-won as a key player in the WC
NC Dinos' Son As-seop will bat first in Game 1 of the KBO Wild Card (WC) Decision against the Doosan Bears. With a huge task ahead of him, Son As-seop is ready to go.
NC will play the first game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank Shootout KBO League Wild Card Decision against the Doosan Bears at NC Park in Changwon on April 19.
NC, which finished fourth in the regular season, enters the wild card deciding game with one win. With a win or a tie in Game 1, they will qualify for the semi-playoffs (best-of-5).
Leading off (batting first) for NC is Son As-seop, who won the batting title for the first time in his career and the fourth most hits in his career. Son has been instrumental in the team's postseason run this season, batting .339 with five home runs, 65 RBIs, 187 hits and 14 stolen bases.
Before the game, Son told reporters, "If you start the postseason at a higher level, it gives you an advantage heading into the final goal. We would have liked to start higher, but it's a good opportunity for the team just to qualify. We have a lot of young players, so it will be a good experience for them. It's a different experience than the regular season. I'm just grateful to be invited to play fall ball. I hope to be a part of the postseason this year."
With his experience in fall baseball, Son hopes to ease the pressure on the juniors. In 29 career postseason games, Son hit .321 with three home runs, 15 RBIs, and 34 hits.
"Younger players may feel pressure in the postseason. Senior players such as myself, Park Gun-woo and Park Min-woo should set the tone and make the younger players feel less pressure," he said, adding, "The younger players can ride the momentum, and when they ride the momentum, the team becomes scary."
"I could feel my stamina dropping at the end of the season. When you're in the postseason, it's a big stage, there's dopamine, and it can change the way you hit. I slept well last night and I'm going in with a good mindset. This is a very important stage. I want to do it without regrets."
Son pointed to Kim Joo-won as a key player in the first game of the wild-card decider. Kim will start at shortstop, batting sixth.
"He came back from a big game (the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games), and you could see the difference in his performance. It's his first time in the postseason, but he's come back from a big game, he's improved and he's going to do a good job for the team. She's not intimidated, so we're looking forward to seeing what she brings to the table." 슬롯사이트