“Mom. Pedi can’t come out because he hasn’t recovered?”

That was the voice of a young fan at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on Nov. 5.

The NC Dinos’ fall baseball journey had come to an end. They lost the fifth game of the playoffs to the KT Wiz, 2-3, by one run. Three years after winning the 2020 unified championship, they’ll have to wait for the next one.

In fact, it’s safe to say that Pedi has been the most talked about player in the NC throughout this postseason. From Game 1 of the wild-card deciding game to Game 2, “will he or won’t he” has been one of the main topics of conversation.토토사이트

Pedi suffered a bruise in his last start of the regular season on March 16. He was taken out of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning against KIA after being hit in the right arm by Go Jong-wook’s bat.

Pedi dedicated himself to the team throughout the season. Without him, NC would not have been able to play fall baseball. Pedi started 30 games this season, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and dominating the KBO. He led the league in ERA, wins, and strikeouts.

He also threw a lot. He pitched a lot of innings that could have been fatiguing. In total, he pitched 180⅓ innings, the most innings he’s ever pitched in a single season, including in the U.S. Still, Pedi made history by becoming the first foreigner to win 20 games and strike out 200 batters in the same season in 37 years, since Seon Dong-yeol (Hae-tae) in 1986. He was the first foreigner to win 20 games and strike out 200 batters at the same time. He won the Choi Dong-won Award, which is given to the best pitcher. He is also a favorite to win the MVP award this season.

As NC’s fall baseball season comes to an end, there are two ways to look at Pedi: he did his best to pitch, but his body didn’t allow him to do so, and he’s a lock to return to the U.S. next year.

NC Peddie (right) heads to the bullpen with his team in trouble in the fifth inning during Game 5 of the playoffs.

Peddie (second from right) walks off the field after losing Game 5 of the playoffs.
If he really wanted to save face, he could have declared himself out for the season after the KIA game. Instead, after skipping the wild-card deciding game and the semifinals, he started Game 1 of the playoffs. He pitched six innings (98 pitches), allowing three hits (one home run), one walk, 12 strikeouts, and one earned run to give his team the win. The playoff record for most strikeouts was a bonus.

But that was it for Pedi’s fall baseball. He didn’t play anymore. With five days of rest after Game 1 of the playoffs, it seemed likely that he would be in the rotation to start Game 5, but NC’s Game 5 starter was Shin Min-hyuk. NC head coach Kang In-hwa mentioned Shin’s name after Game 4, saying, “I’m worried because Pedi’s condition hasn’t recovered 100%.” Kang had already been in a difficult situation before. Before Game 2 of the semi-finals, Kang announced that Pedi would start Game 3 of the semi-finals, but after the game, he said, “I’m sorry for being a liar,” and replaced him with Tanner Tully. After dropping Game 3, NC ended up losing Game 4.

And the fifth game of the day. Before the game, Kang’s mouth was once again the center of attention. “His fatigue level hasn’t recovered perfectly. We’ll wait in the middle and see what happens.” When asked, “Does that mean he can come out if he’s in a position to catch?” he said, “Yes. We’ll wait and see. We’ll see if it’s possible in the bullpen.” Kang continued, “He’s been talking about his shoulder being heavy since he pitched the first game. Even though he had time to recover, he said it felt uncomfortable, so I thought it was a little unreasonable for him to start. I think he can wait in the middle, so we’ll see how he feels and decide.”

Peddy was briefly moved to the bullpen in the bottom of the fifth inning when the team was facing a bases-loaded situation. But he returned to the dugout without throwing a pitch. After the game, it was revealed that he hadn’t actually pitched in the first place. After the Game 5 loss, Kang said, “He tried to move it, but he said it was heavy, so it was difficult.”

Many fans wonder what would have happened if Pedi had pitched through the pain in Game 5. It was the last game, not just any other game, but a game that could have been his last in Korea. After the game, it was reported that Pedi left Wiz Park in tears, and NC fans showed their support. NC fans applauded the tears of a foreign pitcher, who performed at the top of his game, and said, “We will definitely support him even if he returns to the major leagues.