NC Dinos shortstop Kim Joo-won (21) wore sunglasses to team training before the team’s home game against KT Wiz in the fourth round of the 2023 Baseball Playoffs (PO) at Changwon NC Park on Wednesday.
It wasn’t just to protect himself from the hot fall sun. He wore them because his eyes had become tired from the grueling schedule.
“I had a black eye in one of my eyes during the first and second games of the POs, but when I woke up today, I had a big black eye in my other eye,” Kim Joo-won said, adding, “It’s a little uncomfortable because my eyes are suddenly swollen.”
“I think I’m tired because every game is important,” Kim Joo-won said, adding, “I don’t feel tired and I sleep well, but it’s strange to have a black eye.”
“I’m fine,” he said, but there were signs of fatigue all over his face.
The left side of his lip was significantly swollen.
“My lip is also popped,” he said, “but it’s okay. Even though I’m tired, I will definitely win and advance to the Korean Series.”
The NC players, who finished fourth in the regular season and went through the semi-playoffs to determine the wild card, are battling extreme fatigue.
Veteran outfielder Son Ah-seop, 35, is no exception. The nape of his neck is marked with large cupping marks.
“The training coach gave me the cupping because I have been suffering from bile,” he said, adding, “My whole body is not normal.”
“It’s hard, but we’re all doing our best to overcome it,” he said, adding, “Even if you’re sick, you have to win.”
In fact, Son has been playing with discomfort throughout this season.
In the second inning of a regular-season home game against the KIA Tigers at Changwon NC Park on September 28, he vomited after hitting a single to right field and reaching first base.
The vomiting was caught on the broadcast, and there was talk that he might be having health problems.
“I actually suffered from stress gastritis all season,” Son said, “and I often vomited during games because I couldn’t digest my food.”
“I think I suffered from gastritis because I’m always stressed and sensitive,” he said, adding, “It’s okay if I win. I’ll keep it together and smile at the end.”
The NC players, who suffered their first defeat in the second round of the POs on the 2nd after an unbeaten streak in this year’s postseason, are fighting a desperate battle under adverse conditions. 파워볼사이트