NC Dinos Lee Jae-hak (33) is a person who has shared the team’s history. Wearing the NC uniform since 2012, the first year of his establishment, he co-wrote numerous dramas, including the team’s first win in the first team in 2013 and its first advance to the postseason (PS) in 2014. In particular, from 2013 to 2016, he achieved double-digit wins for four consecutive years, establishing himself as the team’s native ace.
It was a long wait to stand on the fall baseball stage again. It’s been a whopping six years since he missed the 2017 playoffs (PO). This is why this year’s fall baseball, held for the first time at Changwon NC Park, is even more special. Following the Wild Card (WC) match against the Doosan Bears on the 19th, he appeared on the mound in both the 2nd and 3rd semi-PO games against the SSG Landers, recalling fall memories.
However, in Game 3 of the semi-PO on the 25th, in the top of the 5th inning with NC leading 7-6, with one out and runners on first base, Oh Tae-gon’s right hand was hit by a hard hit and he collapsed. Nevertheless, he picked up the ball with the hand that was hit by the batted ball and threw it to first base, catching Oh Tae-gon. A situation that would have been 1 out, 1st, and 2nd base was changed to 2 outs, 2nd base, and then they were replaced, and NC ended the inning without allowing any additional runs and maintained this score until the end. Lee Jae-hak’s fighting spirit is what saved NC.
안전놀이터I met Lee Jae-hak after the game when he returned from a hospital checkup. He didn’t care about the pain, he was just happy about his team’s victory. He seemed to feel lighter after being examined and found that there was no bone problem, but his right hand was still swollen. He said, “I caught the ball with three fingers (excluding the index and middle fingers) and threw the ball,” and “It hurt so bad, but (Seo) Ho-cheol called. “Rather than thinking about throwing, he thought it would be nice to just fly to first base somehow,” he said.
Even while he was sick, he showed a sense of responsibility, saying, “I have to do PO as well.” Even when leaving the mound, the thought “I was in big trouble because I got hit so hard” and the thought that I was glad I was able to get the out somehow coexisted. It was the responsibility of a veteran. He said, “We came up in a good mood and I think everyone will do well by continuing the momentum during PO (against KT Wiz). “First of all, it’s my first time getting hit in the hand by a batted ball, so I’ll have to watch my condition further.”