With the game on the line, foreign pitcher Taylor Widener (29-NC) came to the rescue.
NC won 8-1 against Lotte at Sajik Stadium on Wednesday behind Widener’s seven innings of four-hit, eight-strikeout, one-run ball. With the win, NC took the three-game midweek series against Lotte with a 2-1 record and a sweep.
Individually, Widener picked up his fourth win of the season (2-2) in three games following his last start against Lotte on April 13.
Before the game, NC head coach Kang Myung-ho said, “I want Widener to pitch a little longer innings.”
Widener was 3-2 with a 4.94 ERA in 10 starts prior to this game. He returned to the lineup two months after the start of the season with a back injury and hasn’t pitched with any real power. Only half of his 10 starts were quality starts. A row compared to the other outfield pitcher, Eric Peddy.
Recently, Widener has been on the verge of being dropped. “You’ll have to wait and see,” manager Kang Myung-ho said before the game, “I can’t say exactly ‘this is the situation’. I think it will be decided sooner or later.”
In a game that could actually decide his fate, Widener pitched a complete game shutout.
The only run came in the fourth inning. With two on and two out, he gave up a single up the middle to Jun-Woo Jeon.
However, the NC bats provided more support. In the sixth inning, they scored three runs off Lotte starter Park Se-woong, with Park Gun-woo’s RBI double, Jason Martin’s sacrifice fly to center field, and Kwon Hee-dong’s RBI single, giving Widener the win. 토토사이트
Widener pitched his longest outing of the season, striking out eight without issuing a walk.
NC’s firepower continued after Widener went down. They scored one more run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Kwon Hee-dong, then added four more in the ninth off Lotte bullpens Choi Lee-joon and Jin Seung-hyun.
Park Min-woo, who returned to the starting lineup after a one-day absence, had two hits and two RBIs, and Kwon Hee-dong had two hits and three RBIs in the win. With his three-hit performance, NC’s Son As-seop raised his batting average from 0.328 to 0.332, tied for first in the division.
Lotte starter Park Se-woong, on the other hand, posted a quality start with seven innings of three-run ball but suffered the yoke of defeat due to a lack of batting support. It was his fourth straight loss since his resignation from LG Electronics on March 8. The Lotte bats could only muster four hits.
