As an infield utility player, Do Tae-hoon (32) of the NC Dinos made a "wall of wailing" by pouring rain in a single game. He also made an impression on the coach.메이저사이트

Do Tae-hoon was listed in the starting lineup as the seventh batter and third baseman in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO exhibition game against the KIA Tigers at Changwon NC Park on the 10th.

At bat, he showed consistent performance by posting two walks and one hit from two times at bat in the third inning with right-handed hits. However, his true value came from his defense. At the top of the fourth inning, he caught a sharp hit by Byun Woo-hyuk on the third base line. Then, he threw accurately to the first base on a one-bound basis, and secured an outcount.

In the top of the fifth inning, he pulled himself out of the foul line when Patrick Wisdom hit a slow grounder with two outs, and captured a tricky boundary. After taking the step, he quickly went on a running throw to force Wisdom out from the first base. Since then, Do has displayed solid defense without making mistakes at the third base.

He continued to display perfect defense until the end. In the top of the eighth inning, Byun Woo-hyuk hit a powerful hit with a 3-gan pitch. This time, however, he also had Do Tae-hoon. He succeeded in diving catch again and threw the ball accurately.

The head coach also lavished praise on Do's defense. "It was good (defense). Staff members talked about it a lot yesterday," NC manager Lee Ho-joon told reporters the following day. "Tae-hoon is in a tight position, so we have to compete, but the coaches were proud of him because he showed good performance."

It does not mean that outfielder Park Han-goo and infielder Do Tae-hoon have a defensive position. It was because of the backup position. "You can say that there are substitute resources, infield backup, and one outfield player," Lee said. Earlier on the previous day, Lee said, "The outline of the opening entry was released as of today (10th), and Do Tae-hoon is also likely to join the team.

"I felt comfortable because I had a good defense in front of me," Do said when he met with Star News on Sunday. "I think when you do well, you get a lot of good things. Overall, I was lucky and it was good."

Regarding his defense, Do Tae-hoon said, "Because defense is an advantage, I have trained hard to save it since the spring camp." He, who is under the guidance of coach Ji Seok-hoon, who was an infield utility when he was a player, said, "Coach Seok-hoon played the same role, so I felt relaxed as I received know-how."

Since joining NC in 2016, Do Tae-hoon has consistently received opportunities as an infield backup resource. He has the ability to play all infield positions and has helped the manager run the game. In 2023, he shared the first baseman position with Oh Young-soo and played in 117 games with a batting average of 0.234, five homers and 23 RBIs, giving him many opportunities. However, he played in 100 games last year, but his batting average fell to 0.214.

So, he started modifying his batting form at the camp. "I used to hit it with a toe tap, but now I'm changing it to a leg kick," he said. "I'm going to produce even a little stronger batting and upgrade the timing." "It's not easy to hit the timing," he said. "I'm not very worried because I'm used to it now."

What is his goal for this season? "If we supplement the bat that is pointed out as weakness, we will be competitive," said Do. "My primary goal is to stay in the first division because I have a lot of good infield resources. I think my numbers will increase if I do my best in my role in any position."