The Hanwha Eagles have been on a tear, winning 10 of their last 12 games. It was another victory for owner Kim Seung-yeon, chairman of Hanwha Group, who made his seventh visit to the ballpark this season.
Hanwha, led by manager Kim Kyung-moon, rallied back from a 7-5 deficit to win a home game against the Kiwoom Heroes of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League on Monday at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon.
Despite losing a 4-0 lead to 4-5, Hanwha didn’t collapse like before. After giving up a run in the top of the sixth inning, the bullpen of Kim Seo-hyun and Han Seung-hyuk prevented further runs from scoring and prevented Kiwoom from taking the lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Noh Si-hwan led off with a single and Chae Eun-sung and Ahn Chi-hong drew back-to-back walks to load the bases.
This is where Hwang Young-mook came to the plate.
After going 0-for-7 in his last four games, Hwang struck out in his first three at-bats. He was in a slump with 10 consecutive at-bats without a hit, and the timing seemed right for a pinch-hitter. The team had three other options at shortstop, including Ha Joo-seok, Lee Do-yoon, and Moon Hyun-bin, but manager Kim Kyung-moon pushed for Young-mook Hwang.
Hwang repaid the manager’s faith in him. After picking off one or two pitches in a row against Kium right-hander Yang Ji-yul, Hwang made a bold move in the third pitch of the at-bat count. It was a foul ball, but it wasn’t a good one. After fouling off pitches four and five, 카지노사이트 Hwang drove a low fastball outside the zone for a hit. It was a big hit that brought home runners from second and third.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kim Tae-yeon singled in the tying run, but Hanwha’s closer Joo Hyun-sang secured the win with a four-out save. It was his 17th save of the season.
Han Seung-hyeok, who pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings in relief of Joo, earned his fourth win of the season.
Eighth-ranked Hanwha, which won its second straight game after sweeping Samsung in Daegu the previous day (Aug. 8), kept its fall baseball hopes alive with a 48-55-2 record (.466 winning percentage). They continued their explosive momentum with a 10-2 record (.833 winning percentage) in their last 12 games. The victory was even more gratifying because it came in front of President Kim Seung-yeon. This year, the team reaffirmed its good spirits by going 5-2 (.714 winning percentage) in seven games during President Kim’s visit.
After the game, coach Kim Kyung-moon said, “Our center field has been stepping up whenever we need them lately. Noh Si-hwan and Ahn Chi-hong’s home runs helped us get a good flow going.” “Later in the game, Hwang Young-mook came through with a really good hit, and I want to praise the rookie for overcoming the pressure,” he said, praising him for repaying the faith.
Manager Kim Kyung-moon added, “Many fans came to the stadium today, and it feels good to win the first game of the series. Thank you for your wonderful support,” he said.
Hanwha will start right-hander Ryan Weiss against Kiwoom on Tuesday to try to make it three straight wins. For Kiwoom, right-hander Kim In-beom will start.