(LEAD) Dinos' Rucinski throws 5 shutout innings in gutsy performance

▲ Drew Rucinski of the NC Dinos (L) raises his arms in celebration after getting out of a bases loaded jam against the Doosan Bears in the top of the second inning of Game 6 of the Korean Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)

▲ Drew Rucinski of the NC Dinos pitches against the Doosan Bears in the top of the first inning of Game 6 of the Korean Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Korean Series-pitching performance

(LEAD) Dinos' Rucinski throws 5 shutout innings in gutsy performance

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with final score; ADDS details, comments)

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Yonhap) -- On the mound for the third time in a week, NC Dinos' right-hander Drew Rucinski tossed five shutout frames in a gutsy performance against the Doosan Bears to lift his team to the Korean Series championship on Tuesday.

Rucinski scattered six hits and struck out two in a 4-2 victory by the Dinos in Game 6 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. He earned his second win of the series, adding to the Game 1 victory from exactly a week prior, and he also picked up a save in Saturday's Game 4.

In three Korean Series appearances, Rucinski was charged with just one earned run in 13 innings with 10 strikeoutsagainst four walks.

Rucinski was named the Player of the Game in the clinching contest, but fell just shy of winning the series MVP. Rucinski earned 33 out of 80 votes cast by the media, three behind his batterymate and captain, Yang Eui-ji.

Rucinski didn't look particularly sharp early in Tuesday's game and labored through the first inning with 23 pitches.

He pitched himself into more trouble in the second inning, with two singles and a hit by pitch loading the bases for the top of the order.

And Rucinski somehow wiggled out of the jam unscathed. He struck out Heo Kyoung-min looking at an inside cutter, and then Jung Soo-bin flied out to deep center field, with Aaron Altherr making the catch at the track.

Rucinski threw his first three-up, three-down inning in the third, using only 10 pitches retire the heart of the Bears' order.

Then in the fourth, Rucinski pulled off another impressive Houdini act, escaping unscathed after allowing a single and a double at the onset.

With runners at second and third, Rucinski induced three straight groundballs. Jose Miguel Fernandez, not exactly fleet of foot, wasn't able to come home from third on the first two of those grounders. And for the final out, second baseman Park Min-woo made a fine sliding grab to nab Heo Kyoung-min at first.

Rucinski allowed a leadoff double to Jung Soo-bin in the fifth inning, but then retired the next three batters in order.

The Dinos broke the scoreless tie in the bottom fifth, putting Rucinski in line for his second win of the series.

With Rucinski having thrown 85 pitches through five, the Dinos summoned another starter, Mike Wright, from the bullpen to begin the sixth.

After Wright worked a scoreless sixth, four more relievers came on to get the final nine outs for the title-clinching win.

"Just happy that we finally finished it off," Rucinski said afterward. "For me, it was just a fun experience. We did the best we could and got a win. That's the name of the game."

As for falling three votes behind Yang for the MVP, Rucinski said, "It doesn't matter. He deserved every bit of it. It's cool to be even mentioned in the same sentence as that."

Rucinski said pitching to Yang, given his knowledge of Doosan hitters as a former Bears catcher, was a major advantage for him and other NC pitchers.

"Eui-ji is the man. I don't think I shook him off at all the whole series," the pitcher said. "He's incredible back there. Any time there's something that needs to be done, he's the guy that stepped up and did it."

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved