Mistakes, wild pitches, and an extra-inning loss. The offense showed life for a change, but this time, the defense was problematic. Hanwha, the last-place team, fell into another losing streak by conceding points that should not have been given away.
Hanwha Eagles suffered a 5-6 walk-off loss in 11 innings against Doosan Bears in their first season matchup at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 8th.
The start was refreshing. In the top of the first inning, Hwang Young-mook and Florial set the table with a single and a hit to right field, and No Si-hwan took the lead with a three-run home run. After observing the first pitch ball from Doosan starter Choi Seung-yong, he connected with a slider that drifted over the middle (132 km/h) for a 130-meter left-field three-run home run. It was the third home run of the season after 12 games since the match against KT Wiz in Suwon on March 23. Hanwha was able to score after 10 innings, washing away the sorrow of a 0-10 shutout loss against the Samsung Lions in Daegu two days earlier.
But the joy was short-lived as Hanwha's starter Moon Dong-ju allowed a solo home run to Yang Eui-ji in the bottom of the fourth inning, despite leading 3-1. Then, after a single by Kang Seung-ho and a stolen base to put runners in scoring position, he surrendered the tying single to Park Gye-beom, which went towards center field.
The problematic moment occurred then. Center fielder Florial made a major error by running forward for the ball and missing it. The batter, Park Gye-beom, took advantage of this oversight and advanced from first to second and third base before reaching home. Although shortstop Shim Woo-jun's throw home arrived first, catcher Choi Jae-hun failed to secure the catch, allowing Park Gye-beom to score. This resulted in a disappointing reversal to make it 3-4.
Starter Moon Dong-ju did not receive defensive support, resulting in 4 innings pitched with 5 hits allowed (1 home run), no walks, 5 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs (3 unearned), and he was pulled early from the game. The brilliance of his fastball, which reached a top speed of 159 km/h, was overshadowed.
Hanwha did not back down. In the top of the seventh inning, with one out and runners on first and second base, No Si-hwan hit a tying single. Then, in the top of the eighth with no outs and runners on first and third, Choi Jae-hun hit a sacrifice fly to left field, giving Hanwha a 5-4 lead.
The second painful moment came in the bottom of the eighth. Park Sang-won allowed a double to lead-off hitter Yang Eui-ji, and after retiring the next batter Yang Seok-hwan with a groundout to third, Yang Eui-ji's pinch runner Park Ji-hoon took advantage of a throw to first base to steal third. Then, Han Seung-hyuk took the mound and allowed a wild pitch, resulting in a 5-5 tie. Both the fourth and eighth innings saw errors leading to runs.
Facing a fierce battle, Hanwha bowed out in the final extra inning at the bottom of the 11th. Lee Sang-kyu came to the mound and, after one out, allowed Oh Myung-jin a single to right field, Jo Soo-haeng a bunt single, and Jung Soo-bin a walk in succession. With one out and the bases loaded, they were able to retire Choo Jae-hyun with a pop-up to third, but then surrendered a walk-off hit to Kim Gi-yeon on the first pitch.
With this loss, Hanwha fell into a two-game losing streak, remaining in last place with a record of 4 wins and 10 losses. The gap with the Kiwoom Heroes, now in 9th place, also widened to one game. Manager Kim Kyeong-moon expressed his concerns before the game, saying, 'If the margin of wins and losses widens any more than this, it will be hard to catch up,' and the margin has now stretched to -6. Hanwha's April has indeed been tough.
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