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After squeaking into the postseason in 2025, the NC Dinos are off to a less-than-ideal start to their Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) campaign in 2026, with just eight wins in their first 20 games. They have dropped two straight games against the Kiwoom Heroes, one of just two clubs below the Dinos in the standings, at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul this week, while scoring just once -- a 2-1 loss Tuesday followed by a 3-0 defeat the next day.

According to Yonhap News Agency, ahead of Thursday's series finale at the dome, Dinos manager Lee Ho-joon claimed the vibe in the clubhouse and in the dugout has remained upbeat. "I know the guys must be frustrated, but veterans and young players are all trying to come together as a team and fight through this," Lee said in his pregame scrum. "We in the coaching staff are also trying to do our part to cheer up the guys and make sure they continue to play with confidence."

To wit: Lee had a lengthy one-on-one c onversation with starting shortstop Kim Ju-won during batting practice. Kim is stuck at two RBIs through 20 games, after setting a career high with 65 last season. Lee said he had noticed Kim wasn't happy with recent strike calls that had gone against him and wanted the player to adopt a different mindset. After all, there's no room for argument for KBO players anyway when it comes to those calls, because the league is using an automated ball-strike system.

"I told him to just laugh it off in those situations," Lee said. "I mean, the machine says it's a strike. What else can you do?" Lee said he and his coaches will be ready to be big cheerleaders in the dugout for Thursday's game. "I think we will have our chances to win a few games," the manager said. "We're pretty hopeful."