“I was heartbroken that I wasn’t able to help my team members who are losing games in a row.”
NC Dinos pitcher Kyle Hart took the mound as the starting pitcher in the first of three consecutive weekend games against the KIA Tigers of the “2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League” held at NC Park in Changwon on Sunday. He had four hits, four strikeouts, two walks and one run in five innings, contributing to his team’s landslide 17-4 win. At the same time, he garnered 11 wins (two losses) in this season.
Earlier this month, Hart was not able to throw balls due to cold. He was excluded from the first team roster when he showed no signs of recovery. At the end of August, he took the mound for the first time this month. Meanwhile, NC had the worst period in the club’s history. It lost 11 consecutive games and saw its ranking fall to ninth place in the league. It had a hard time as it sank to the bottom of the league. Ace Heart was not helpful and had no choice but to watch.
Hart, who felt sorry, returned as soon as possible and helped the NC mound. He overwhelmed the league’s leading KIA lineup with a powerful pitch early in the game. He allowed one run in the top of the fourth inning, but this was also due to center fielder Choi Jung-won’s miss of catching the falling spot. He showed off his outstanding pitching and blocked it well by throwing 65 balls until the fifth inning. The maximum speed of four-seam fastballs came out to 151 kilometers per hour. He showed off his skills as if he had completely shaken off his body aches.
Hearts’ good pitching gave NC a big boost. By winning a showdown with Kia, the leading team in the league, Hart was able to continue its winning streak for the first time in 28 days since the game against the Changwon Lotte Giants on June 26. At the same time, Hart also led the team against Eric Lauer, the starting pitcher with 36 wins in the Major League that will face off for the first time.
NC manager Kang In-kwon praised Hart after the game, saying, “Heart set the stage for victory with five excellent innings of pitching before returning as a starting pitcher.”
After the game, Hart expressed his regret that he failed to contribute to the starting lineup during his absence due to injury. As an ace player, Hart had to serve as a stopper for consecutive losses, but was unable to stand on the mound for consecutive losses due to cold symptoms.
Hart said, “(I feel great because I won). I’m glad that my team played well in the comeback match. So far, I’ve been desperate to return to the team. I’m not 100% in condition, but I wanted to throw it to win the team. I was away from my teammates during the injury period, but I was sad because I couldn’t be of any help to my teammates who lost consecutive games. The whole team did their best to win, but I don’t think Seung-woon followed me.”
“I want to wrap up like this every day like a game tonight. I will do my best to win the game and play good baseball in the stadium. Players are not giving up and doing their best in every game. I will do my best to make sure to throw the ball to the postseason at the end of the season. I want to thank my fans for their support even during the losing streak,” he said.
Hart is the ace pitcher of the NC Dinosaurs and a foreign pitcher who stands out in the KBO league 토토사이트. He posted an earned run average of 2.32 in 22 games, 11 wins, 2 losses and 136 innings this year. He ranks first in the league in terms of earned run average, tied for second in multiple wins, and tied for fourth in quality start (three earned runs or less in six innings as starters). If Hart continues his good pitching streak, NC will be able to start the season as it pleases. Will Hart, who returned healthy, be a big help to NC Dinos’ mound.
