NC Dinos pitcher Kyle Hart was blown out for his most earned runs this season.
Hart took the loss against the SSG Landers at NC Park in Changwon on May 25, giving up six runs on five hits (two home runs) in six innings with 10 strikeouts, one walk and two strikeouts.
NC has already been eliminated from the postseason. For Hart, who had recently been sidelined with hamstring soreness, the game against SSG was not only about a clean regular season finish, but also about the individual title.
Hart was on pace to win up to four titles this season. He was first or near the top of the league in ERA, wins, winning percentage, and strikeouts. With four awards, he would be in contention for MVP. No foreign pitcher has ever done it before.
However, he suffered an unexpected blow in the SSG.
In the top of the second inning, with runners on first and second, he gave up a three-run home run to No. 8 hitter Oh Tae-gon. A 147-kilometer two-seam fastball was caught in the zone.
It was a home run to the bottom of the order, and it was even more painful because there were two runners on base. But Hart didn’t crumble and kept pitching.
Despite giving up the early lead, she still managed to strike out a whopping 10 SSG batters on the day.
However, she couldn’t get over the hump. In the top of the sixth inning, NC trailed 1-3. With one out, Guillermo Heredia faced a pitch that was not in the zone and was hit by a pitch.
Then, facing No. 5 hitter Jae-Hoon Ha, 토토사이트 Hart was hit by another 147-kilometer pitch in the 1B1S for a towering three-run home run. After the home run, Hart had a big smile on his face. The three and six had different weights.
He walked off the mound after the second home run with two more outs to end the inning, but it was too much.
With 10 strikeouts, he regained sole possession of the strikeout lead.
Enmanuel De Jesus (KIUM) slipped to second place, and Hart reclaimed the top spot, but his ERA “spiked” from 2.44 to 2.69 in the wake of the six runs. James Nail (KIA), with a 2.53, took over the top spot with a fisherman’s wicket.
The win percentage also dropped as NC lost 2-8 on the day, handing Hart a loss.
Hart, who had been the leader in winning percentage, dropped to 0.813 and fell to second place behind Park Young-hyun (KT).
Despite the loss, he still has 13 wins on the season. The leader, Won Tae-in (Samsung), has 15 wins, which is virtually impossible to catch with the rest of the schedule. With a maximum of four titles up for grabs, it’s now one or nothing. There is still a chance that Hassus could make one more start in the remaining games.
Hart also has one more start left in the rotation, and if he doesn’t perform well in his final start, he could be further away from the title. Can he pull off the final upset?
