[By Kwon In-ha, Sports Chosun] The Lotte Giants have recently collapsed, leaving a two-team system of LG Twins and SSG Landers. Now, a new top-three contender, the NC Dinos, is knocking on the door.

The NC Dinos begin a three-game midweek series against LG in Changwon on the 20th. As of the 19th, first-place LG and third-place NC are separated by 3.5 games. The second-place SSG is 3 games behind. If NC can achieve a winning series of 2-1 or more in this three-game series, they can close the gap with LG to within 2.5 games. They’ll be in the top three.안전놀이터

NC has been on fire in June. With 11 wins, one draw, and three losses, they are in first place with a whopping 7.88% winning percentage.

After being picked to finish in the bottom half of the standings before the season, NC upset the pundits by going 14-12 in April and finishing fourth, but then slipped to 9-11 in May. They finished May with 23 wins and a winning percentage of 5 percent, tied for fifth place with the KIA Tigers (22 wins and 22 losses).

The 2023 KBO League game between the KIA Tigers and NC Dinos was held at Gwangju KIA Champions Field on May 17. Son Asub

The Tigers have been on a roll in June with their two-hitter. They have a team batting average of 2.089 in 15 games in June. That’s 1.4 points higher than the second-place Hanwha Eagles (.275). They have scored 103 runs, which is 6.9 runs per game.

Their 4.10 ERA is second only to the Kiwoom Heroes (3.20). They have totaled 67 runs, which is 4.5 runs per game. They lost Koo Chang-mo to injury, but Lee Jae-hak’s strong start has stabilized the lineup. The bullpen was also solid, ranking second overall with a 3.12 ERA.

There were four come-from-behind wins and only one loss, a testament to the good batting and stable mound.

Son Asub (.397, 23 hits, 11 RBIs), Seo Ho-cheol (.377, 23 hits, 10 RBIs) Jason Martin

(.361, 22 hits, three home runs, 14 RBIs) lead the team at the plate. Park Min-woo, who recently returned to the lineup, has also contributed with an impressive 4-for-5, 8-RBI (11 RBI in 24 at-bats) in six games.

The 2023 KBO League game between the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins was held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 18th. LG’s Kim Hyun-soo hits a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Challenged by the NC, LG has been on a roll lately, rebounding from an early June slump, so the game is expected to be a close one. In 16 games in June, LG won eight, drew one and lost seven. The team suffered three consecutive losses through the 10th, resulting in a 2W1D6L record, but then went on a five-game winning streak, resulting in a 6W1L record. From the 11th to the 18th, LG ranked first in ERA (3.43) and second in batting average (0.310). That’s a good two-hitter. LG’s bullpen is particularly strong. It ranks first with a 2.22 ERA in seven games. The bullpen is so solid that all nine starters are in the must-win group. LG’s offense has improved with the return of Kim Hyun-soo, the centerpiece of their offense.

This year, LG and NC have a combined record of 4-4. In the three-game series in Jamsil on April 18-20, LG won two straight games to take the series after losing the first game, and in Changwon on May 2 and 3, LG won both games to take a 4-1 advantage, but NC evened the series at 4-4 with sweeps of 9-2, 7-3, and 3-1 in the three-game series in Jamsil from May 2-4.

Will NC continue their June momentum and enter the top three with a winning series against LG, or will LG stop NC’s upswing and solidify their top two status?