11 wins in the first half alone, Ponce and the strongest starters, but why did the KO defeat suddenly collapse due to Ahn Hyun-min?

Jul 23, 2025

11 wins in the first half alone, Ponce and the strongest starters, but why did the KO defeat suddenly collapse due to Ahn Hyun-min?
NC-Hanwha match held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 1st. NC starter Riley is cooling off with an air conditioner before taking the mound. Daejeon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.1/



Why did Riley, who was so popular, collapse in vain.

The NC Dinos are off to a bad start in the second half. He played only one game due to rain in the opening four consecutive games of the second half against the Gwangju KIA Tigers. I lost that, too.

It's back home. Ace Riley appeared in the game against KT Wiz on the 22nd. A chance to rebound. Riley is a foreign player who won 11 games in the first half of the year and was given a special title of ace. Before the opening, it was two options after Logan, but after the first half, it was recognized as a "starting two-top" along with Hanwha Eagles Ponce, who is dominating the league.




However, the KT match collapsed horribly. He allowed six hits, three walks and seven runs (6 earned runs) in four ⅓ innings. It was painful to give Ahn Hyun-min a two-run shot and a timely hit. It was a surprising result because Riley had completely gained pace since he played nine runs (6 earned runs) against the LG Twins on March 29 and five runs against the Kiwoom Heroes on April 5 when he was not acclimated to the league at the beginning of the season.

The match against Ahn Hyun-min was not the only problem. There seemed to be something wrong with the whole day. Unlike in the first half, the ball speed didn't come out well, and the balance felt disordered. How did NC manager Lee Ho-joon see Riley's slump.

11 wins in the first half alone, Ponce and the strongest starters, but why did the KO defeat suddenly collapse due to Ahn Hyun-min?
In the game between NC and LG held at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the 24th, NC won 3-1 to give No. 1 LG its first looting series of the season. NC Riley, who won his third game of the season, is sharing the joy of victory. Yes. Jamsil = Reporter's wook@sportschosun.com/2025.04.24/
Ahead of the game against KT on the 23rd, coach Lee said, `First of all, it was the impression that the opponent prepared so well. When Riley threw a curveball, the opponent had to swing and miss by the falling ball, but all hitters from No. 1 to No. 9 hit the ball. I analyzed if 'Cuse' was caught, but it wasn't that either. It can only be explained by the fact that the opponent came out well prepared" he said.




Riley also had a problem. Manager Lee said, "After the All-Star break, the game was canceled due to rain, so the break was too long. Just because you rest for a long time doesn't necessarily mean it's good. I had no choice but to take a long break, but in the game against KT, my fastball was 144km. It's not the restraint Riley throws." Riley played in the first division for as long as 16 days after taking the mound against SSG Landers on the 6th.

11 wins in the first half alone, Ponce and the strongest starters, but why did the KO defeat suddenly collapse due to Ahn Hyun-min?
NC-Hanwha match held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 2nd. NC won 2-0. Coach Lee Ho-joon is applauding the players. Daejeon = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.2/
Coach Lee admitted that Riley came to the stadium today and admitted that he had a lot of bad parts yesterday. He said, "I corrected what I couldn't do through training." He predicted that he will find his original form in the next game.

When asked if he could gain strength in the competition with Ponce, coach Lee said, `That's not the kind of personality. He looks like an innocent countryman. Instead, baseball greed is a great friend. He explained, "I usually eat and talk a lot, but I don't think I care about the title or competition."








This article was translated by Naver AI translator.