I'm sure he's the league's top ace right now, and he's even got a new club record
Jul 12, 2024
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Hart took the mound as a starting pitcher in Game 9 of the season against the Kiwoom Heroes at Changwon NC Park on the 12th and won the start by pitching close to perfection with two hits, eight strikeouts, and two walks in seven innings.
It is a tricky Kiwoom lineup, but he was lethargic in front of Hearts. Hart allowed Ko Young-woo to get on base for the first time after two outs in the first inning, but he overcame the crisis by groundering Song Sung-moon, and retired Choi Joo-hwan, Lee Hyung-jong and Kim Jae-hyun in the second inning.
Kim Taejin in the 3rd episode, tooJang Jae-young and Lee Joo-hyung were struck out, infield grounder, and outfield fly, and in the fourth inning, Ronnie Dawson, Ko Young-woo, and Song Sung-moon were all hit by infield grounder. It was a good pitching that blocked Kiwoom's chance itself.
He gave up his first hit to Kim Jae-hyun with two outs in the fifth inning, but he didn't shake again this time. He struck out Kim Tae-jin, the next batter, with four pitches swinging.
The sixth inning was the biggest crisis in the game. He gave up a walk to leadoff hitter Jang Jae-young, and the next batter Lee Ju-hyung's hit became an infield hit to the second base, bringing the crisis to the first and second bases with no outs. The NC bench continued to leave Hart with the pitch. And I lived up to that expectation. Hart, who struck out Dawson with three swinging pitches, handled Ko Young-woo and Song Sung-moon neatly with miscues.
And he was responsible until the seventh inning. Choi Joo-hwan was grounded out to second base, Won Sung-jin was struck out swinging, and even Kim Gun-hee was struck out swinging. It was a flawless finish. NC won the final score 9-2, scoring nine points while Hart played well.
With this victory, Hart won eight games this season and recorded the most wins among left-handed foreign pitchers in the history of NC clubs. The previous record was seven wins recorded by Wang Wei-jung in the 2018 season, Friedrick in the 2019 season, and Castano this season. This means that Hart is performing best as a left-hander. It has won eight games so far, but it is expected to pass the club's first 10 wins as a left-handed foreign pitcher without difficulty. In particular, it is a heart that clearly shows NC's 'Ace' down pitching as he continues to take the mound, with seven scoreless innings in the last two consecutive games.
After the game, Hart said through the club, "I'm happy to win my first game of the second half. The fielders helped me a lot today, so I was able to play comfortably. My winning shots throughout today's game were the fielders behind me. Thanks to the fielders, I was able to throw all my balls comfortably. I get asked about my personal performance, but I always think the team comes first. I want to help NC go to the top with the fans. I'm really happy to pitch in front of our fans who visited Changwon NC Park. I'll prepare well for the next game so that I can win," he said with joy.
youll@sportschosun.com
