“Yes, I’m playing in the second team.”
It’s been about a week since NC had the Park situation. Park was removed from the first team on the 3rd. He started playing in the Futures League on the 5th. It was just as coach Kang Myung-ho had predicted that Park would play in the second team. Park went 1-for-2 with a double, a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored that day against Changwon Commerce.
The NC 2nd team will take six days off before continuing a three-game series at home against Lotte from July 7-9. With the game on the 7th canceled due to rainy weather, Park Gun-woo is expected to return for the 8th game. However, the NC First Team is also scheduled to play a three-game home series against Samsung starting on the 7th.
The NC First Team finished its nine-game road trip in the Seoul metropolitan area with a 2-6 record. They will return home on the 7th and end the first half with a six-game series against Samsung and Lotte. In other words, the NC 1st and 2nd teams will play their weekend home games side by side. Changwon NC Park, home of the first team, and Changwon Masan Stadium, home of the second team, are right next to each other. You can walk between them in 5 minutes.
The NC 2nd team will also play Lotte on August 8-9 at 18:00. This coincides with the first team’s game against Samsung Electronics, so it’s not possible for Kang to watch Park Gun-woo play in person. However, Kang can keep a close eye on the second team’s preparation if he wants to.안전놀이터
Park’s performance in the second team is not important to him. He didn’t go to the second team because he needed to make technical adjustments. What matters is the work ethic he shows in the second team. The most important thing is whether or not he shows sincerity about baseball itself.
Kang said that he will not decide when Park will return to the first team. He said he would respect the opinions of the second-team coaching staff and listen to the thoughts of the first-team players.
In any case, he won’t be seen in the first team for 10 days, and he can return on the 13th for the final game of the first half against Lotte. Realistically, he’ll be back for the first three games of the second half against Hanwha starting on the 21st. Maybe he won’t be back even then. At this point, we have no idea when Park will return.
Park has already gotten a sense of Kang’s intentions through media reports. His change of heart is more important than anything else. If NC handles the situation well, it could even strengthen their team chemistry in the second half of the season and fuel a comeback. Kang’s leadership has already paid off.