NC Dinos vs Doosan Bears

With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, NC leadoff hitter Kim Joo-won worked a one-out walk. A wild pitch moved him to second and a groundout advanced him to third. With two outs and the winning run 90 feet away, NC cleanup hitter Blaine Crim delivered a sharp single up the middle, scoring Kim for the walk-off win.

The hit capped a resilient night for the Dinos, who had lost four straight dating back to August 15.

Koo Chang-mo (NC Dinos) — 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. The left-handed ace delivered his second consecutive quality start, keeping Doosan's top of the order off balance all night. He threw 62 of 96 pitches for strikes.

Blaine Crim (NC Dinos) — Clutch two-out single in the bottom of the ninth to deliver the walk-off win. The American first baseman, who joined NC in July as replacement for former KBO home run king Matt Davidson, provided the decisive hit.

Jack Log (Doosan Bears) — 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. The lefty gave his team exactly what it needed, but the Bears bullpen could not hold the lead in the seventh or the ninth.

Kim Joo-won (NC Dinos) — Reached base three times and scored the winning run after a one-out walk in the ninth.

The box score shows a game that was tighter than the early NC lead suggested. Both teams recorded nine hits apiece. NC committed one error while Doosan had two. Koo Chang-mo's dominance was the story of the first five innings: Doosan managed only two hard-hit balls against him through five frames. His pitch count climbed to 87 through six, forcing the NC bullpen into action earlier than ideal, and the relievers nearly coughed up the game before the ninth-inning heroics.

The win keeps NC (47-2-54) seventh in the KBO standings but halts a four-game losing streak. The Dinos host the Samsung Lions on August 21 at Changwon NC Park.

Doosan (57-4-49) stays fifth but misses a chance to gain ground. The Bears face the LG Twins on August 21 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.

Form trajectory: NC had lost four of five entering Thursday and badly needed Koo's stabilizing start. Doosan had won five of seven before this defeat, so the loss is a speed bump rather than a crisis, though their bullpen's fragility in high-leverage spots resurfaced at the worst possible moment.

A classic KBO pitchers' duel that became a late-inning thriller. Koo Chang-mo gave NC length and dominance, but the Dinos nearly wasted it before the ninth-inning rally. For Doosan, it is a missed opportunity to sweep a struggling opponent on the road.