NC Dinos ace Eric Peddie will not pitch in Game 3 of the best-of-five semi-final series.

 

"It will be difficult for him to start Game 3," NC head coach Kang Myung-hyun said after the team defeated SSG Landers 7-3 in Game 2 of the 2023 Shinhan Bank Shootout KBO Semi-Final at SSG Landers Field in Incheon, South Korea.

 

He continued, "After training today, he expressed anxiety and had a medical examination. He was diagnosed with elbow impingement syndrome. If we go to Game 4 or 5, we will monitor his condition and decide on a pitching date."

 

Pedi, who won the pitcher"s triple crown with a 20-6 record, 2.00 ERA and 209 strikeouts, was hit in the right forearm by a Jong-Wook Koh pitch on April 16 against the Gwangju KIA Tigers.

He was unable to pitch in the wild-card game due to scheduling conflicts, but with NC advancing to the semifinals, he was given the opportunity to pitch in fall baseball.

However, it was Shin Min-hyuk, not Pedi, who started Game 1. This was because his injury hadn"t fully healed.

After the 4-3 victory in Game 1, Kang said, "Pedi threw 19 bullpen pitches and was about 90% recovered. It"s hard for him to pitch in Game 2 because he has anxiety," Kang said, adding, "We"ll set a pitching schedule after watching his recovery."

After that game, he locked in Pedi as the Game 3 starter. "I can"t go backwards anymore. I"m going to pitch Game 3," he said with a confident tone, adding, "I know he has anxiety, but ?? it"s better to pitch than to put it off any longer."

 

But that changed about five hours later, as Pedi continued to show signs of anxiety.

Kang said, "It"s hard to pitch in the third game at all. We need to see his condition the day after tomorrow. It"s important to listen to his doctor."

With two consecutive wins, there are some who wonder if the team can afford to postpone Pedi"s appearance.

In response, Kang said, "It"s not like that at all. It has nothing to do with the outcome of today"s game."

In Game 3, Tanner Tully will start in place of Peddie.

 

"We don"t need Peddie to win," Kang said. Our offense is on the rise, so I think we"ll have a good game in Game 3," Kang said.